Donald Trump issued a vague message on Tuesday night hinting at an upcoming announcement targeting seven countries in the latest ongoing drama surrounding his controversial tariffs.
In an uncharacteristically brief post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “We will be releasing a minimum of 7 Countries having to do with trade, tomorrow morning, with an additional number of Countries being released in the afternoon.”
The president signed off with, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!” No further information was given.
The announcement comes on the day that matches Trump’s initial deadline–July 9–for countries to reach favorable trade deals with the U.S. or risk having tariffs increased.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent extended that July 9 deadline to August 1 on Sunday. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick backed that date change, stating, “Tariffs go into effect Aug. 1, but the president is setting the rates and the deals right now.” The White House also made it official on Monday.
Trump followed up with another social media post on Tuesday, “TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025. There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change. In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 — No extensions will be granted."
In April, the president announced a 90 day pause on tariffs, following his “Liberation Day” calculations of potential 50 percent tariffs causing mayhem in financial markets.
On Monday, Trump sent letters to the leaders of 14 countries - Thailand, Cambodia, Serbia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, Laos, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Tunisia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The White House correspondence, posted on his Truth Social page, included warnings that countries may face higher tariffs if they raised their own import taxes or did not meet the U.S. deadline of August 1.
Most of the letters were similar in content, stating tariffs between 25 and 40 percent will be added to products sent into the U.S., depending on the country, and all signed off with the line, “You will never be disappointed with The United States of America.”
In April, Trump had promised to negotiate “90 deals in 90 days”. So far, deals have only been struck with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and a preliminary accord with China.
On Tuesday, Trump announced the U.S. would impose a 50 percent tariff on imported copper, and said levies on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors were due to be put in place soon.
