Trump said in an interview this morning that he would send letters to more than 150 countries and impose a uniform tariff of 10-15%, and most of these countries are "small and have limited trade with the United States." He then emphasized that August 1 would be the deadline, and if no agreement was reached before then, the tariffs would go into effect.

More than 150 countries around the world will receive "tax payment" notices, with tax rates ranging from 10-15%

According to Bloomberg, Trump said in an interview at the White House that the United States will send "Notice of Payment" to more than 150 countries, which will indicate the tariff rate, and the tariffs imposed on these countries are the same. He added:

"These notified trading partners are not major countries and their trade volumes with the United States are limited."

When Trump was asked about the tax rate in an interview later, he responded:

“It will probably be 10% or 15%, but it has not been finalized yet.”

Trump's attitude towards negotiations is clear, and sending a letter is also part of the deal

Recently, Trump has intensively issued ultimatums to other countries on tariffs and demanded renegotiation. His original deadline was 7/9, but now this batch of notices has been extended by another three weeks, directly setting the "tariff effective date" on 8/1. This has caused many countries to worry that there is simply not enough time for negotiations, and a new wave of market turmoil has once again set off.

The Trump administration originally wanted to use the threat of tariffs to get multiple agreements, but now he directly regards the letter as a "deal" and does not intend to negotiate too much. However, he also left a back door. If there is a country willing to offer "better conditions", the United States may lower the tariff rate.

EU and Canada react: Markets are uneasy, agreement may change

The tariffs in this batch of notifications are actually similar to the numbers Trump announced in April, but the move was suspended due to excessive market volatility. This time, the move has made the market nervous again. The EU originally hoped to finalize a tentative agreement with the United States before July, but now this letter has disrupted the rhythm. Trump even said in an interview:

"Europe? There may be an agreement, I don't really care. But the notice sent to the EU is already an agreement."

As for Canada, which will face a 35% tariff on some goods in August, Trump responded with a bland response:

"It's too early to tell now."

The U.S. Treasury Secretary also praised Trump, saying that the extreme tariff pressure strategy was effective

When US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was interviewed by Bloomberg, the host mentioned that the current European tariff is 30%. As for whether Trump would raise the tariff on Europe further, Bessent pointed out:

"President Trump has plenty of bargaining chips, whether it is a direct 30% tariff or a better deal with Europe. But if the negotiators do not offer the best conditions, the tariffs may rebound."

He emphasized that Trump's "maximum pressure strategy" is very effective, and many agreements that were already good have been negotiated better step by step by him. The market is actually very calm and close to historical highs, because from a long-term perspective, it is good for the US and global economy.

Asian experts interpret that the lower than the original threat is "good news"

Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, said that Trump's announcement is actually "good news" for many small countries. She said:

"The original threat of a higher tax rate has now been reduced to 10% or 15%, which provides a little certainty."

She also pointed out that this shows that Trump realizes that "tariffs that are too high will cause chaos."

This article Trump sent "tax payment notices" to more than 150 countries, and may impose a unified tariff of 10%-15% first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.