Trump says new tariff deadline ‘not 100 percent firm’

US President Donald Trump reignited his trade offensive on Monday, threatening over a dozen countries with significantly higher tariffs, though he simultaneously indicated a degree of flexibility regarding his new August 1 deadline for reaching trade agreements.

In letters dispatched to key trading partners, including vital US allies Japan and South Korea, Trump announced that duties previously suspended in April would now snap back even more steeply in just three weeks. Both Tokyo and Seoul are now facing the prospect of 25 percent tariffs on their goods. Other nations, such as Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, and Malaysia, have been informed of duties ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.

However, in a move that introduces fresh uncertainty into an already unsettled global economy, the 79-year-old president once again left room for negotiation. When pressed by reporters at a dinner with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the August 1 deadline, Trump stated, “I would say firm, but not 100 percent firm.” Asked if the letters represented his final offer, he replied, “I would say final — but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we’ll do it.”

This latest escalation follows Trump’s initial imposition of sweeping tariffs on what he termed “Liberation Day” on April 2, which included a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries. Market turmoil subsequently led him to suspend all tariffs above 10 percent for 90 days, a pause that was due to expire on Wednesday. Trump’s latest letters were sent in advance of that initial deadline, with an executive order formally extending it to August 1.

Trump’s near-identically worded letters to the Japanese and South Korean leaders explicitly stated that the imposition of 25 percent tariffs was due to their trading relationships with Washington being “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.” He also issued a warning of further escalation should these nations retaliate against the new levies.

This renewed tariff pressure is poised to create significant ripples across global supply chains and diplomatic relations as countries scramble to navigate the evolving trade landscape under the Trump administration.