Donald Trump says Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday (July 4), informing them what tariff rates they will face.Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, he said it was too much to expect full deals with every nation
“My inclination is to send a letter out saying what tariff they’re going to be paying. It’s just much easier. We have, you know, far more than 170 countries. And how many deals can you make? And you can make good deals, but they’re very much more complicated. I’d rather, and I’ve been like this from the beginning, I’d rather send out a letter saying, This is what you’re going to pay.”
The move marked a shift from his earlier pledge to strike scores of individual agreements. Top aides had said in April they would work on 90 deals in 90 days – an ambitious goal that met with scepticism from trade experts.Now, Trump says he expects “a couple” more agreements before his July 9 deadline.
“My inclination is to send a letter out saying what tariff they’re going to be paying. It’s just much easier. We have, you know, far more than 170 countries. And how many deals can you make? And you can make good deals, but they’re very much more complicated. I’d rather, and I’ve been like this from the beginning, I’d rather send out a letter saying, This is what you’re going to pay.”
The move marked a shift from his earlier pledge to strike scores of individual agreements. Top aides had said in April they would work on 90 deals in 90 days – an ambitious goal that met with scepticism from trade experts.Now, Trump says he expects “a couple” more agreements before his July 9 deadline.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV that about 100 countries would now face tariffs of 10%.
That’s well down on Trump’s original list, which saw 123 jurisdictions get that rate. Many major trading partners now involved in talks face much higher duties under the original plan.
That includes 20% for the EU, 24% for Japan, and 26% for India. Some countries that have not engaged in talks face even steeper levies. Thailand could see 36%, and the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho 50%.
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