U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump share a kiss as they watch fireworks during a Fourth of July celebration at the White House on July 4, 2025 in Washington, DC, U.S.
Eric Lee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Paramours wanting to court each other have, through the decades, moved on from love letters to Instagram DMs.
But some form of that epistolary tradition remains today in the stately realm of politics. U.S. President Donald Trump revealed Monday that he had written letters to the leaders of 12 countries, informing them of new tariff rates due to begin on Aug. 1.
Upon first reading, the letter is enough to send the heart racing. It contains bold emotional declarations (“You will never be disappointed with The United States of America”), big double-digit numbers (between 25% and 40%, depending on the recipient) and a veiled threat should desire not be reciprocated (“These tariffs may be modified … depending on our relationship with your Country”).
But if we take a step back, it appears that he letters’ purpose might not be that different from the table of “reciprocal” tariffs Trump hoisted up at the White House’s Rose Garden in April.
The letters threaten stiff tariffs that will kick in on a certain date (or as certain as any deadline from the White House can be), unless countries negotiate with the U.S. for a trade deal. Even the tariff numbers aren’t that far from what was initially revealed. In other words, the letters might just be a restaging of April’s events.
“If you go through the details, I don’t even know if anybody understands the difference between what was announced today, what was there previously, and if it will actually be implemented, and which companies it actually impacts,” Trivariate Research CEO Adam Parker said Monday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”
Trump on Sunday, in response to whether the deadline for tariffs will be changing, said, “They’re going to be tariffs. The tariffs are going to be the tariffs.”
In the same way, a tariff is a tariff is a tariff, whether in a racy letter, stated on a big chart, or even sent in an Instagram DM.
What you need to know today
And finally…
Shoppers line up on June 27, 2025, at Laopu Gold’s first store outside China — just outside the Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore.
CNBC | Victoria Yeo
This Chinese jeweler is using traditional techniques to challenge Cartier — and it’s starting in Singapore
Laopu Gold opened its first overseas store in Singapore on June 21, just outside the Marina Bay Sands casino. During the first two weekends, wait times stretched from one to two hours, according to an employee.
The Chinese jeweler has excited investors with its surging China sales — up 166% to 9.8 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) in 2024, according to its annual report. The company’s shares have skyrocketed by well over 2,000% since its public offering price of HK$40.50 in Hong Kong in June 2024.
— Evelyn Cheng and Victoria Yeo