’Shock. Frustration. Anger.’ Trump’s tariff letters roil Asian allies
America’s Asian trading partners are reacting to President Donald Trump's latest threats of tariffs with frustration and disbelief, after months of what they believed were good-faith efforts to make a deal.“To give adjectives to the reaction or response, it would be, number one, shock. Number two, frustration. And number three, anger,” a former Japanese official said in an interview.
Trump unveiled letters to 14 foreign governments Monday — 10 of them from Asia — threatening new tariffs on Aug. 1 unless their countries made renewed efforts to broker deals. They landed with a thud in the middle of the night on the other side of the Pacific, where governments were not given a heads-up before the letters were sent.
’Shock. Frustration. Anger.’ Trump’s tariff letters roil Asian allies
The administration's missives reupping — but also delaying — his tariff threats are further souring the mood toward the U.S. ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to the region.
