US Island Is Exempt From Imposing Tariff Due to Quirk of History

The US Virgin Islands is eyeing an opportunity to benefit from President Donald Trump’s dramatic attempt to reorder global trade by trying to exploit its unique status within the US.

The US Virgin Islands, a cluster of Caribbean islands purchased from Denmark more than a century ago, lies outside the US Customs area — a technical distinction that exempts it from federal tariff policies.

As a result, the islands have been spared from enforcing the blanket 10% duty imposed by the US last week, and a new round of steeper reciprocal levies that Trump has paused for 90 days ...