Trump added that the tariffs might be lowered if the nations open their markets and reduce non-tariff barriers.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he departs for Florida from the White House on July 1, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
President Donald Trump on July 7 issued letters announcing new tariffs on a slate of countries, set to take effect on Aug. 1, including 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, as he pressed ahead with unilateral trade measures against nations that have not yet reached agreements with his administration.
In the letters, released on social media platform Truth Social, Trump warned that the tariffs could be increased if the countries raise their own trade barriers or fail to address longstanding trade imbalances with the United States.
“Please understand that the 25 [percent] number is far less than what is needed to eliminate the Trade Deficit disparity we have with your Country,” he wrote to Japan’s prime minister, with identical language featured in each of his notifications to other countries, with only the tariff percentages varying from one letter to another.
In addition to the 25 percent levy imposed on Japan and South Korea, Trump also issued letters imposing tariffs on Myanmar (40 percent), Laos (40 percent), South Africa (30 percent), Kazakhstan (25 percent), and Malaysia (25 percent).
Trump added in each of the letters that the tariffs might be lowered if the nations open their markets and reduce non-tariff barriers, emphasizing that persistent trade deficits pose “a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security.”
The letters cap weeks of Trump’s signaling plans to send notices imposing reciprocal tariffs on nations running trade surpluses with the United States or maintaining trade barriers he considers unfair.
In April, Trump gave countries 90 days to negotiate bilateral trade deals or face new tariffs, with that deadline initially set to expire on July 9. By late June, he said letters would be dispatched to trading partners still without agreements, specifying the tariff rates their goods would face in the U.S. market.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a July 7 briefing that around a dozen other countries would receive similar tariff notification letters from Trump in the coming days and weeks. She also confirmed that Trump plans to sign an executive order extending the original July 9 deadline to Aug. 1 to give negotiations more time.
“We’ve seen a lot of positive developments in the right direction, but the administration, the president and his trade team, want to cut the best deals for the American people and the American worker,” Leavitt said.
So far, the United States has reached trade agreements with India, China, and the United Kingdom, while negotiations with Canada, Mexico, and the European Union remain ongoing, according to Trump.
Speaking to reporters on July 3, Trump said it was simpler to impose tariff rates across the board rather than negotiate deals with each of the more than 170 countries that trade with the United States.
“It’s just so many countries,” Trump said. “And then they go into specifics … beef, ethanol, I‘d rather just do a simple deal where you can maintain it and control it. ’You’re going to pay a 20 percent, or 25, or 30 percent tariff.’”
In a Truth Social post on July 6, Trump said that the letters would begin going out to foreign governments at noon Eastern time on July 7.
Separately, Trump on July 6 announced plans for an additional 10 percent tariff on countries whose policies align with those of the BRICS bloc—a group that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and several other nations focused on boosting the influence of the Global South in world affairs.
Ultimately, the tariff levels Trump announced for Japan and South Korea on July 7 reflect what he had earlier signaled those nations would face once the 90-day negotiation window closed. Initially, Japan faced a 24 percent levy and South Korea a 25 percent tariff, which Trump temporarily reduced to 10 percent during talks.
Trump has characterized his tariff strategy as a way to reshape global trade and compel foreign governments to negotiate deals aimed at correcting what he describes as unfair practices that disadvantage the United States, including through persistent trade deficits.
The U.S. trade deficit hit a record $918 billion in 2024, and Trump has frequently promoted tariffs as a tool to reduce the gap and strengthen the country’s fiscal position.
Since Trump returned to office in January, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has collected more than $106 billion in customs revenue—with $81.5 billion attributed directly to tariffs imposed under the president’s trade agenda.
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that Trump’s tariff measures could reduce federal deficits by $2.8 trillion over the next decade, even after accounting for slight economic slowdowns and inflationary pressures.
However, the administration’s sweeping tariff actions have prompted legal challenges. In May, a federal trade court ruled that Trump’s April 2 tariffs exceeded his statutory authority under emergency economic powers, setting up an ongoing legal battle as that ruling has been appealed.
Jacob Burg contributed to this report.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.