President Trump is again amping up his trade threats, unveiling a new batch of letters to country leaders outlining tariffs on goods imported from their countries beginning in August. The highlight of his letter barrage late Wednesday was his announcement of a coming 50% tariff on goods from Brazil in a letter sent to its president,

"Any measure to unilaterally raise tariffs will be responded to in accordance with Brazil's Economic Reciprocity Law," Lula's office said in a statement. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Isabel Teles;

President Donald Trump posted several more letters on social media on Wednesday, setting tariff rates ranging from 20% for products from the Philippines to 30% for products from Algeria, Iraq, Sri Lanka,

Instead of viewing tariffs as part of a broader trade policy, President Trump sees them as a valuable weapon he can wield on the world stage.