MW More tariff letters look set to hit. A Trump official says they'll include a 'general' notice.

By Victor Reklaitis

Trump also promises an import tax of 50% for copper and floats 200% duty for pharmaceuticals

The Trump administration made more announcements about tariffs on Tuesday, a day after sending letters to 14 trading partners that promised import taxes of 25% to 40% starting Aug. 1.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said another batch of tariff letters was close to going out, followed by "a general letter" that would cover countries that didn't get their own missives. The effective date for new duties would continue to be Aug. 1, he added.

"You should expect another anywhere from 15 to 20 letters to go out over the next two days - really setting down tariff lines for the key, driving countries, and then we'll set out a general letter to the balance, sort of setting out where they're going to be," Lutnick said in a CNBC interview.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump said in a social-media post that more tariff letters "will be sent today, tomorrow, and for the next short period of time." He also said no extensions will be granted beyond his Aug. 1 deadline, after indicating some flexibility on Monday evening, when he said it was "firm but not 100% firm."

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In addition, Trump said Tuesday that his administration was "probably two days off" from sending a letter with a tariff rate to the European Union. E.U. officials "treated us very badly until recently - now they're treating us very nicely," the president told reporters.

Copper tariff may take effect this month

Also Tuesday, Lutnick and Trump promised a 50% tariff on copper imports, matching the import tax that they've already imposed on imports of steel and aluminum. Trump announced the steep tariff for copper (HG00) during a cabinet meeting, and Lutnick offered more details during his CNBC interview, including that the duty likely will be put in place at "the end of July, maybe Aug. 1."

"You'll see the president will Truth about it this afternoon," Lutnick said, referring to a forthcoming post on Trump's Truth Social platform. "He'll sign a proclamation as that goes through the ordinary legal process within a day or two days."

Related: Copper prices settle at record high after Trump's tariff talk

A number of sectors, such as copper and pharmaceuticals, have looked set to get hit with tariffs by the Trump administration, as the required investigations have been underway for weeks or months. The probe for copper has been completed and handed to the president, according to Lutnick.

"With pharmaceuticals PJP and semiconductors SMH, those studies are being completed at the end of the month, and so the president will then set his policies then," the Commerce Department boss said. Earlier Tuesday, Trump had said imported pharmaceuticals could be "tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200%," though drug makers would get 12 or 18 months to onshore their manufacturing.

Regarding trade talks with China, Lutnick told CNBC that top Trump administration officials plan to meet in early August with their Chinese counterparts, saying the meeting would have to do with "beginning the process of having a bigger conversation" about trade.

The main U.S. stock indexes SPX DJIA finished mostly lower Tuesday.

Now read: Trump is revving up his trade war again. Here's why investors aren't panicking just yet.

-Victor Reklaitis

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July 08, 2025 16:52 ET (20:52 GMT)

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