Trump and US commerce secretary say tariffs are delayed until 1 August, sparking confusion | Trump tariffs

Donald Trump said his administration planned to start sending American business partners on Monday dictating new prices, in the midst of confusion at the moment when new prices come into force.

“It could be 12, maybe 15 [letters]”Said the president to journalists,” and we have also concluded agreements, so we will have a combination of letters and certain transactions have been concluded. »»

With his 90 -day break previously announced on the prices that will end on July 9, the president was invited to enter into force the new prices this week, or on August 1, as some officials had suggested.

“No, they will be prices, the prices, the prices will be, the prices,” started the president, “I think most countries will have done by July 9, yes. Either a letter or an agreement.”

Feeling the confusion, its trade secretary, Howard Lunick, jumped to add: “But they come into force on August 1. The prices come into force on August 1, but the president establishes the prices and transactions at the moment. ”

Trump in April announced a basic rate rate of 10% on most countries and additional tasks of up to 50%, although he then delayed the date of entry into force for all except 10% until July 9. The new date of August 1 offers countries another three -week stay, but also plunges importers into a long period of uncertainty due to the lack of clarity around prices.

The stock markets slipped to Asia on Monday in the middle of the confusion. The Nikkei in Japan lost 0.3%, while South Korean shares dropped by 0.7%. The widest MSCI index in Asia-Pacific outside Japan decreased 0.1%.

In a subsequent update on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that the United States would begin to provide “pricing and / or offers” from 12 no on Monday.

“Any country aligning on the anti-American policies of the BRICS will be invoiced an additional tariff of 10%. There will be no exception to this policy,” he added in a separate position, referring to the development block of nations which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

After a spouse of leaders in Brazil on Sunday, the leaders of BRICS had published a joint declaration raising “serious concerns concerning the rise in measures of unilateral prices”, which, according to them, risked harming the world economy.

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, told CNN earlier on Sunday that several major announcements of trade agreements could arrive in the coming days, noting that the European Union had made good progress in its talks.

He said Trump would also send letters to 100 small countries with which the United States does not have much trade, informing them that it would face higher rate rates for April 2, then suspended until July 9.

“President Trump will send letters to some of our business partners saying that if you do not move things, then on August 1, you will be a boomerang at your price level of April 2. So I think we will see a lot of offers very quickly,” said Bessent to CNN.

Since his entry into office, Trump has sparked a world trade war that has disrupted the financial markets and sent that political decision-makers rush to keep their savings, in particular through agreements with the United States and other countries.

Kevin Hassett, who heads the National Economic Council of the White House, told CBS that there could be room for countries engaged in serious negotiations. “There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, and therefore maybe things will reject the deadline,” said Hassett, adding that Trump would decide if it could happen.