President Donald Trump is preparing to send formal trade ultimatums to a dozen countries, warning them of steep new tariffs unless they accept U.S. trade terms. Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey, Trump confirmed he has signed letters laying out tariff offers—described as “take it or leave it”—set to be delivered Monday.
The president declined to name the countries in question but said the public will find out once the letters go out.
Initially, Trump had indicated the first wave of letters would be issued Friday, but with the holiday, the timeline has shifted. He emphasized that the U.S. is done playing games with countries that take advantage of American trade policy.
“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably twelve,” Trump told reporters. “Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs.”
In April, Trump announced a 10% universal base tariff on foreign imports, with additional country-specific hikes reaching as high as 50%. However, outside of the base rate, the White House granted a 90-day suspension period for nations to negotiate better terms. That grace period ends July 9—and Trump now says some tariffs could jump to as high as 70% if deals aren’t reached. Most would take effect August 1.
Trump has grown frustrated with slow-moving negotiations and is now opting for a more direct approach.
“The letters are better,” he said Friday. “Much easier to send a letter.”
The administration had initially pursued broad trade talks with dozens of countries but ran into roadblocks, particularly with the European Union and Japan. The White House is now shifting away from lengthy negotiations in favor of hard deadlines and written offers with consequences.
So far, only two countries have finalized new agreements. The United Kingdom reached a deal in May to maintain a 10% tariff and received favorable treatment for sectors like automotive and aerospace. Vietnam struck a separate agreement slashing threatened tariffs on their exports from 46% down to 20%, while opening their markets to U.S. goods duty-free.
However, talks with India stalled, and EU diplomats admitted Friday that negotiations with the Trump administration had hit a wall. Brussels may now attempt to preserve the current trade arrangement simply to avoid the looming tariffs.
Trump made clear that he still hopes some countries accept the new deals before the July 9 deadline—but warned that time is running out.