US President Donald Trump is preparing to roll out a fresh round of tariffs on dozens of countries as early as this week, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, ahead of the expiry of the administration’s temporary 10% global tariff on Friday.
According to the report, the first wave of new duties is expected to be broadly in line with the existing 10% tariff. However, the administration is also pursuing separate trade investigations that could provide the legal basis for imposing significantly higher tariffs on some trading partners, the newspaper said.
The temporary tariff was introduced after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s earlier sweeping import duties imposed under emergency powers. In response, the administration invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose temporary tariffs for up to 150 days.
With that authority expiring this week and Congress unlikely to extend it, the White House is now expected to shift to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision that authorises tariffs in response to what the US considers unfair foreign trade practices or violations of international trade agreements.
One of the first Section 301 actions is expected to focus on forced labour in global supply chains. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed tariffs of 10% on imports from 14 countries and the European Union, while 45 other countries, including China, could face 12.5% duties, according to the Financial Times. Public consultations on the proposal have already concluded, potentially clearing the way for implementation once the current tariffs lapse.
According to the report, the administration is also investigating global manufacturing overcapacity, a move that could provide the legal foundation for additional tariffs on countries accused of using excessive industrial subsidies or maintaining artificially high production levels that distort global markets.
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The latest push follows the Trump administration’s decision last week to impose 25% tariffs on several Brazilian imports under Section 301 after completing a year-long investigation into alleged unfair trade practices. However, several consumer products, including coffee and beef, were exempted.
The move is widely seen as the first major test of the administration’s post-court tariff strategy and could serve as a template for future trade actions against other US trading partners, the Financial Times reported.
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