Trump Defends His Tariffs as “Common Sense” and Targets Brazil

• Trump Defends His Tariffs as “Common Sense”
• Brazil, Next Target for Tariffs
• US Prepares New Tariff Letters

US President Donald Trump justified his new tariff policy on Wednesday with a straightforward argument: common sense.

During a press conference held at his meeting with the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.

He stated that the formula used to set the tariffs “is based on common sense, on deficits, on how we’ve been treated over the years, on the raw numbers.”

This was reported by EFE.

Trump Defends His Tariffs as “Common Sense”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the formula he’s using to determine new tariffs planned for some partners starting August 1 is based on common sense and added that Brazil will soon be one of the countries to receive an official letter… pic.twitter.com/6KEDHNPZ7d

— NMás (@nmas) July 9, 2025

Trump revealed that Brazil will soon join the list of countries set to receive official letters with new tariff figures.

According to the president, the notification to the Brazilian government could be sent “between today and tomorrow morning.”

The announcement comes in the context of extending a 90-day tariff truce, which was initially set to expire on July 9.

But it was prolonged by Trump until August 1 to allow more time for negotiations with trade partners.

More Countries in Trump’s Trade Policy Crosshairs

Trump says he bases his new tariffs on common sense and threatens Brazil with more. #NoticiasSIN
Read more in our newspaper https://t.co/Ovpz0o2vQahttps://t.co/5EikTMk375 pic.twitter.com/D8dqqFdeVf

— Noticias SIN (@SIN24Horas) July 9, 2025

Despite the truce extension, Trump has already started sending letters warning of his unilateral plans to impose tariffs if agreements aren’t reached.

On Monday, he kicked off this offensive by sending communications to around fifteen countries, including Japan and South Korea, detailing tariffs that, in some cases, maintain the rates set in April and, in others, modify them.

On Wednesday, Trump officially imposed new tariffs of 20% on imports from the Philippines and between 25% and 30% on Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, and Libya.

All these letters carry the same warning: if those countries choose to raise their own tariffs on U.S. goods, Washington will add that same percentage to the announced tariffs.

This strategy aims to force market openings and the removal of tariff barriers unilaterally, reinforcing his administration’s “America First” stance.

Warnings to the European Union and Economic Justification

Trump also indicated that the European Union would receive its own letter with specific tariff conditions within hours or days.

Trump emphasized that these tariffs are “necessary” to correct what he described as decades of unfair policies that have created a trade deficit detrimental to the United States.

In his view, imposing unilateral tariffs is the way to level the playing field with partners, avoiding lengthy negotiations or multilateral concessions.

For Trump, these letters are not merely warnings but agreements in themselves—a way to set the terms of foreign trade without the need for complex treaties.

The combination of populist rhetoric and tariff pressure aims to solidify an electoral message focused on defending the US economy and recovering industrial jobs, though it carries the risk of triggering retaliation and tensions with longstanding allies.

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