Trump Hits 12 Nations with New Tariffs

President Donald Trump has launched a new round of tariffs targeting twelve nations that failed to negotiate satisfactory trade deals.

Trump announced that the plans signal, what he describes as, the end of prolonged negotiations and the beginning of direct measures.

The president said the effort began with formal letters sent on Monday.

The remarks were made following Independence Day celebrations at the White House on Friday.

Trump officially signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a wide-reaching tax and spending package.

While celebrating the legislative victory, Trump indicated that his administration is prepared to escalate its approach on trade and tariffs.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey, the president declined to specify which countries would receive letters.

However, he said that the details would be released on Monday.

“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably 12,” Trump said.

“Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs.”

President Trump says “probably 12” letters will go out Monday to different countries informing them as to their new tariffs.

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The tariff announcement comes amid continued disputes with foreign trading partners and increasing pressure from global economic powers.

While negotiations have led to some progress, such as a trade agreement with Vietnam, others remain unresolved.

The president has expressed frustration with countries like Canada, Japan, and members of the European Union over what he views as unfair trade practices.

Trump had initially signaled on Thursday that the letters would begin going out on Friday.

However, with the Fourth of July holiday falling on that day, the schedule was pushed to the start of this week.

Trump’s comments also reflect a shift in strategy, moving away from multilateral tariff negotiations and toward direct action through written communications, which could outline new tariff rates or demand concessions.

While the administration has not disclosed the content of the letters, previous tariff efforts have led to billions in revenue for the United States, according to White House officials.

The president and his trade team had initially sought to engage in broad-based discussions with dozens of nations over tariff realignments, but repeated setbacks have shifted the approach.

Negotiations with the European Union and Japan in particular have yielded limited results.

The president signaled that the letter strategy would be more efficient and direct, allowing the administration to take targeted steps without waiting for drawn-out discussions.

Democrats and media outlets have previously warned that Trump’s tariff measures could result in economic fallout, including inflation and trade retaliation.

However, administration officials continue to point to tariff-related revenue as proof of effectiveness.

No new inflation indicators or economic downturns have materialized in connection with the current tariffs, according to the latest federal data.

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As of Friday, the White House had not released the names of the 12 countries set to receive the letters.

Officials indicated that the correspondence would detail specific tariff levels and could potentially initiate further discussions with those governments.

Speaking at Morristown Municipal Airport on Sunday evening, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the “tariffs go into effect August 1.”

Lutnick added: “But the president is setting the rates and the deals right now.”

Earlier in the day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said about 100 letters will be sent to small countries “where we don’t have very much trade,” many of which are “already at the baseline 10 percent” rate.

“President Trump’s going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level,” Bessent told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“So I think we’re going to see a lot of deals very quickly.”

The president has already touted trade agreements with the United Kingdom, China, and Vietnam.

“We are close to several deals,” Bessent said.

“As always, there’s a lot of foot-dragging on the other side.

“I would expect to see several big announcements over the next couple of days.”