July 9th arrived, the date marked in red in the war declared on global trade by Donald Trump, but the definitive armistice (nor the escalation) that was expected with the end of the 90-day truce granted by the President of the United States to dozens of his partners last April did not occur. This week, Trump decided to set a new D-Day, August 1st, to allow negotiations to continue with the different countries until then to agree on the tariffs the United States will impose on them.

However, more letters sent to trading partners arrived this Wednesday as a pressure measure from Washington. Seven recipients of this barrage were informed of the taxes that each of them is subject to, and the sender promised that, in principle and without further delay, the taxes will come into effect within 23 days, unless specific agreements with different rates are reached during that time.

The list of letters posted on Truth, the social networking site, shortly before noon (Washington time) is as follows: Philippines (20%), Libya (30%), Iraq (30%), Algeria (30%), Moldova (25%), Brunei (25%), and Sri Lanka (25%). The second batch of letters went out to the various capitals with the same intention as the first: to exert pressure and influence the ongoing negotiations.

On Monday, 14 countries received letters, including Japan, South Korea, Bosnia, and Malaysia, whose leaders read texts signed by Trump promising import taxes of between 25% and 40%. The US president justified this new channel of communication with the countries on Tuesday by arguing that there are"200" countries to negotiate with, 200 pending issues that are impossible to resolve one by one, face to face, in such a short space of time, hence his resort to correspondence.

Through Truth Social

As before, news of each of them came through Trump's social media account, Truth, where the Republican uploaded the documents, which are practically identical to each other. Only the figure for the tax imposed on each capital varies. In almost all cases, the amount is similar to what appeared in the tariff schedule promoted by the Republican in his April 2 speech in the White House Rose Garden, an occasion he dubbed"Liberation Day."

Except for that number, all begin by stating that their submission demonstrates"the strength and commitment" to their respective trade relations, and that the United States has decided to continue them, but only within a"fairer and more balanced" framework. The texts continue with the letter's intention to"participate in the extraordinary U.S. economy" provided they agree to overcome the "trade deficits" caused by "tariffs, regulatory, non-tariff, and trade barriers," which, the letters add,"unfortunately, are far from reciprocal."

"If for any reason they decide to raise tariffs [on US products], we will respond with that same tax plus 25%," the letters threaten, adding that no tariffs will be imposed on companies that choose to manufacture in the United States. The texts also say:"This trade deficit is a serious threat to our economy and, indeed, to national security!" In them, Washington is open to changing its decision,"and considering an adjustment," if countries agree to modify the conditions affecting US goods.

None of these new tariffs interfere with or change existing tariffs imposed by sectors, such as aluminum and steel (50%) or autos (25%). The threat of a 50% tariff on copper was added to the trade war agenda on Tuesday, when Trump announced it in a conversation with reporters, in which he also hinted that tariffs of"up to 200%" on pharmaceutical products are on the way.

All these announcements, coupled with the sending of the letters, have not only reignited the trade war initiated by Trump upon his return to the White House in January; they have also brought back the aggressive and erratic ways that defined the first months of his economic policy, characterized by its isolationism and the volatile personality of the person in charge.