U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats will see 14 countries face a 25 percent or higher tariff by 1 August if they don’t reach agreements with the U.S.
Several of the countries listed are top sources of seafood for the U.S.
The latest tariff statements from the Trump administration stem from the 2 April “liberation day” announcement which enacted 10 percent tariffs on all countries and threatened significantly higher tariffs on a wide range of countries across the globe. On 7 July, Trump released a series of letters sent to the leaders of 14 different countries, stating that those tariffs would either go through as planned or increase if a deal wasn’t reached by 1 August.
“As per letters sent to various countries yesterday, in addition to letters that will be sent today, tomorrow, and for the next short period of time, TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media website 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.”
Among the countries listed, the majority are in Southeast Asia, and many of them are top exporters of seafood to the U.S. According to his posts on Truth Social, Trump has so far sent letters to Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Tunisia.
Of the 14 countries named, Indonesia sends the highest amount of seafood to the U.S., shipping over 209 million kilograms of seafood worth nearly USD 1.9 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) in seafood to the U.S. in 2024, making it the fourth-largest source of seafood for the U.S. according to NOAA Fisheries statistics. Under Trump’s latest proposal, Indonesia’s tariff rate would sit at 32 percent, on par with what was listed in his 2 April proposal, meaning importers would have paid an additional USD 608 million (EUR 518 million) in tariffs in 2024 if the tariffs had been in place then.
The next largest country by value of seafood exports to the U.S. listed in the new proposals was Thailand. The country sent 201 million kilograms of seafood worth over USD 1.1 billion (EUR 938 million) to the U.S. in 2024, making it the ninth largest source of seafood for the U.S. Trump’s proposal would hit the country with a 36 percent tariff, which would have cost U.S. importers an additional USD 396 million (EUR 337 million) in 2024.
Of the other 12 countries listed, Japan and South Korea are by far the largest exporters of seafood. According to NOAA Fisheries statistics, Japan sent USD 491 million (EUR 418 million) worth of seafood to the U.S. in 2024, and South Korea sent USD 253 million (EUR 215 million) worth of seafood.
