Washington’s allies targeted in Trump’s new tariff war

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in the midst of imposing steep customs tariffs on a number of Washington’s allies, has claimed readiness for more trade deals.

According to Reuters, ahead of the Friday deadline for a trade agreement, Trump imposed heavy tariffs on exports from dozens of U.S. trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India, and Taiwan. Under the presidential executive order, Trump set rates including 35% tariffs on many goods from Canada, 50% on Brazil, 25% on India, 20% on Taiwan, and 39% on Switzerland.

The new tariffs were scheduled to take effect on Friday, July 31, but the White House announced they would be implemented starting next week, claiming that the delay would provide an opportunity to continue negotiations.

A senior U.S. administration official described the new round of tariffs as “Trump’s new round of negotiations.”

Trump’s imposition of customs tariffs comes amid strong evidence of rising consumer goods prices in the United States.