US President Donald Trump has said he plans to send formal letters to America’s trading partners within the next one to two weeks, setting out unilateral tariff rates — a move that could precede the rei-mposition of higher duties on dozens of countries by a July 9 deadline.
“We’re going to be sending letters out in about a week and a half, two weeks, to countries, telling them what the deal is,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “At a certain point, we’re just going to send letters out. And I think you understand that — saying, ‘this is the deal, you can take it or leave it’,” he added.
It remains unclear whether Trump will follow through with the threat. Trump has often issued two-week timelines for major policy actions, many of which have been delayed or dropped entirely. On May 16, he had similarly said tariff decisions would be made “over the next two to three weeks”.
In April, Trump announced plans to impose higher tariffs on a wide range of US trading partners, only to pause the move for 90 days following market turbulence and concerns that it could trigger a global economic downturn. Despite ongoing negotiations, the only formal trade framework agreed so far has been with the United Kingdom, alongside a tariff truce with China.
However, that truce is now under strain, after Washington and Beijing accused each other of breaching the terms, prompting marathon talks in London earlier this week on how to proceed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump claimed the framework with China had been finalised, with Beijing agreeing to supply rare earth minerals and magnets, while the US would allow Chinese students to continue studying at American colleges and universities.
Though he had initially proposed holding individual talks with each trading partner, Trump has since shifted focus to a handful of key economies, acknowledging that his administration lacks the capacity to negotiate dozens of bilateral agreements simultaneously. Talks are currently underway with India, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier on Wednesday that a deal with the EU was likely to be among the last to be completed, expressing frustration with the complexity of negotiating with a 27-member bloc.
