In a dramatic escalation of his protectionist economic agenda, US President Donald Trump has revealed plans to notify more than 150 countries that they may soon be subjected to new US tariff rates-ranging between 10% and 15%. The announcement marks the latest move in Trump’s aggressive bid to restructure global trade around what he calls “America First principles,” with the goal of reducing the US trade deficit and reviving domestic manufacturing.

Trump, who returned to the White House in January after defeating President Joe Biden, has made revamping US trade relations a cornerstone of his second-term strategy. During a press conference at the White House on July 16, Trump stated, “We’ll have well over 150 countries that we’re just going to send a notice of payment out, and the notice will state what the tariff rate is going to be.”

He added that most of the targeted countries were “not big” trading partners and “don’t do that much business” with the US, but insisted that applying a uniform rate would simplify trade policy enforcement and avoid future “free riding.” Later that evening, in an interview with Real America’s Voice, Trump clarified that the global rate would “probably be 10 or 15%,” though the final figure remains undecided.

Trump’s July 16 comments follow a string of tariff threats and policy changes that have sent tremors through global markets. On April 2, his administration rolled out a sweeping “Liberation Day” tariff package, which slapped a 10% blanket levy on nearly all US imports, with even higher duties on goods from strategic trade rivals like China, Mexico, Canada, and the European........

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