Trump to Send Letters to Countries Determining Import Tariff Rates

US President Donald Trump announced that he intends to send letters to his trading partners, starting Friday, informing them of the punitive tariffs he has decided to impose on them, as the deadline for negotiations on the issue approaches.

“I’m inclined to send a letter explaining the tariffs they’ll have to pay. It’s much easier that way,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll send letters, probably tomorrow.”

This statement comes days before the Republican president’s July 9 deadline to impose punitive tariffs of varying rates on dozens of his country’s trading partners, from Taiwan to the European Union, according to Agence France-Presse.

The US Treasury Secretary said that about 100 countries are likely to be subject to a reciprocal 10% tariff, indicating that he expects “a series of trade agreements” to be announced before the July 9 deadline to avoid sharp tariff increases.