


President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his latest round of tariffs will go into effect on Aug. 7, not Aug. 1 as expected.
The White House made the last-minute move ahead of Friday’s midnight deadline for foreign countries to finalize trade deals with the United States. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that the president would further modify the tariff rates at some point on Thursday.
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While most reciprocal tariffs will take effect at the end of next week, Trump imposed a 35% tariff on Canada for a Friday start date. The tariff rate on Canada was previously 25%.
The Trump administration announced the higher tariff in response to what it calls “Canada’s continued inaction and retaliation” over the United States’s efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs across the northern border. Although Mexico was hit with tariffs for the same reason, Trump delayed the southern neighbor’s 25% tariffs for another 90 days as trade talks continue.
Earlier this year, Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to combat the public health crisis fueled by fentanyl trafficking.
That law is being challenged in court by critics who argue that Congress, not the executive branch, should be the one to impose sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration maintains it has the authority to address the significant trade deficit the U.S. has with dozens of countries via tariffs.
“President Trump is using tariffs as a necessary and powerful tool to put America First after many years of unsustainable trade deficits that threaten our economy and national security,” the White House said in a statement Thursday evening.

Beyond Canada, other nations that are set to be hit by higher rates include Syria (41%), Switzerland (39%), Iraq (35%), and South Africa (30%). The baseline 10% rate only applies to countries with which the U.S. has a trade surplus, such as the United Kingdom. And a minimum 15% rate will be in place for countries with which the U.S. has a trade deficit.
Twenty countries currently have comprehensive trade agreements with the Trump administration, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, with more deals on the way.
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While some countries “have agreed to, or are on the verge of agreeing to, meaningful trade and security commitments with the United States,” Trump said others either “failed to engage in negotiations” or “offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters.”
The new tariffs for countries, excluding Canada, will take effect next week, giving Customs and Border Protection enough time to make the necessary changes to collect the import duties.