President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration is preparing to impose tariffs of over 10% on imports from over 100 smaller countries, including several nations in Africa and the Caribbean.
“We’ll probably set one tariff for all of them,” Trump told reporters, referring to the broad group of targeted countries. He added that the new import tax would likely be “a little over 10%”, starting August 1.
Speaking alongside the president, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified that the countries affected were generally low-volume trade partners and would not significantly impact Trump’s broader aim of reducing the U.S. trade deficit.
Earlier this month, Trump sent letters to about two dozen countries and the European Union, setting tariff rates aligned with those announced on April 2. His sweeping tariff strategy, including record-high import taxes, triggered market volatility and initiated a 90-day negotiation period, which expired on July 9.
The president emphasized that these tariffs are part of a larger effort to incentivize domestic production. He also revealed that tariffs on pharmaceutical imports could be introduced “by the end of the month.” Similar measures are being considered for computer chips, with a phased approach that would give manufacturers a year to build factories in the U.S. before higher tariffs are imposed.
These developments come as the Trump administration continues pushing aggressive economic nationalism ahead of the 2026 trade agenda, with critics warning that the move could trigger retaliatory tariffs and further strain relationships with developing nations.