President Donald Trump made it clear Tuesday that there will be no delay in implementing the new round of tariffs set to begin August 1, emphasizing that countries hoping to avoid them must act quickly to negotiate reduced rates.
“TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025.,” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social. “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.”
During a Cabinet meeting later that day, Trump doubled down, saying that come August 1, the new “reciprocal” tariffs will be enforced across the board.
“The big money will start coming in on Aug. 1, I think that was made clear today,” Trump said to reporters. He turned to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who predicted that the U.S. could bring in over $300 billion from tariffs by year’s end—triple the $100 billion collected so far this year.
While Trump said he was open to individual trade agreements being finalized with some countries, he noted that his preferred method is to assign a tariff rate to a country and inform them directly, as he did with Japan, South Korea, and a dozen others earlier in the week.
As for the European Union, Trump suggested things could still go either direction.
“They’re very tough, but now they’re being very nice to us, and we’ll see what happens. We’re probably two days off from sending them a letter,” Trump said. “We are talking to them.”
Trump also maintained that sending a country its tariff notice is as good as having a formal trade deal in place, arguing that crafting official agreements can often be too drawn out and complex.
In April, Trump announced a sweeping plan to impose reciprocal tariffs—some reaching as high as 50 percent—on nearly 60 nations. He initially delayed implementation until July 9 to give countries a window to renegotiate their trade terms.
However, when asked Tuesday about pushing the start date to August 1, Trump claimed that was always the intended timeline.
“It’s always been Aug. 1. That’s all, paying it. A statement was being put out today, and I put it out just to make it clear. It wasn’t a change. It was Aug. 1,” Trump said, even though he had signed an executive order the day before to shift the deadline from July 9 to August 1.
Trump has previously issued multiple tariff deadlines as part of his broader trade strategy, only to walk some of them back at the last moment.
In fact, on Monday, Trump hinted to reporters that the August 1 date could still have a degree of flexibility.
“Because if they call up and say ‘we’d like to do it a different way,’ I’d be open to that,” he said.
The administration began distributing tariff notifications on Monday to various trading partners—copies of which were shared on Truth Social. In the messages, Trump signaled there might still be room for maneuvering.
“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” he wrote in the letter. “You will never be disappointed with the United States of America.”
On Monday, 14 countries received these letters. Trump said more would follow and warned that any nation imposing retaliatory tariffs would likely face even harsher penalties.
{Matzav.com}