President Donald Trump announced that he plans to send letters to over 150 countries, informing them of new tariff rates as part of his ongoing trade strategy. According to Trump, the tariffs could be set at either 10% or 15%.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday (July 16), Trump stated, “We’ll be notifying well over 150 countries with a notice of payment that outlines the applicable tariff rate.” He emphasized that the same rate would apply uniformly to this group of nations, describing them as smaller countries with limited trade volumes.
In a separate interview with Real America’s Voice later that day, Trump added that the final tariff rate had not been confirmed but would likely be either 10% or 15%.
Recently, Trump has stepped up his trade efforts by notifying various countries of new tariffs set to take effect on August 1, unless those nations agree to more favorable trade terms with the U.S. These letters extended a prior deadline of July 9 by three weeks, prompting urgent responses from several trading partners hoping to avoid the increased tariffs.
Although Trump and his advisers initially aimed to secure multiple trade agreements, the president has been promoting the tariff notification letters themselves as deals. He has also indicated a general reluctance to engage in prolonged negotiations, while still leaving room for countries to negotiate lower rates.
The proposed tariffs are similar to those Trump introduced in April before pausing them due to market instability. The current round of letters has added further uncertainty to global financial markets and surprised some partners, such as the European Union, which had been anticipating tentative trade agreements with the United States.
In his interview, Trump suggested he is indifferent to whether a deal is reached with the EU, referring to the tariff notification as a form of agreement. When asked about Canada—facing a 35% tariff on certain products in August—he responded that it was “too soon to say.”
