(Reuters)

President Donald Trump on Saturday (July 12) imposed a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union (EU) starting on August 1 after weeks of negotiations with the key trading allies failed to reach a more comprehensive trade deal.

The fresh tariffs were announced in separate letters posted on Truth Social on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Trump issued new tariff announcements for a number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper.

The EU had hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc.

The European Union had been bracing for the letter from Trump outlining his planned duties on the United States’ largest trade and investment partner after a broadening of his tariff war in recent days.

The EU initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement, including zero-for-zero tariffs on industrial goods, but months of difficult talks have led to the realisation it will probably have to settle for an interim agreement and hope something better can still be negotiated.

The 27-country bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms.

Trump’s cascade of tariff orders since returning to the White House has begun generating tens of billions of dollars a month in new revenue for the federal government. US customs duties revenue shot past US$100 billion in the federal fiscal year through to June, according to US Treasury data on Friday.