US President Donald Trump has made public his intention to reinstate metal tariffs on Brazil and Australia, the New York Times has reported.
Trump accused the two countries of unfair trade practices including currency manipulation saying it was hurting American farmers and putting the US at a great disadvantage.
“There, effective immediately, I will restore the Tariffs on all Steel & Aluminum that is shipped into the U.S. from those countries," Trump wrote on Twitter.
Australia and Brazil were exempted from the tariffs in 2018 after entering trade deals with the US.
The imposition of the tariffs, the Guardian reported, will come as a huge blow to the two countries which had pleaded with the US not to impose the tariffs on them.
President Trump, according to Bloomberg, a top business publication, urged the Federal Reserve to weaken the US dollar as a response to the currency devaluation by Brazil and Australia.
“The Federal Reserve should likewise act so that countries, of which there are many, no longer take advantage of our strong dollar by further devaluing their currencies. This makes it very hard for our manufactures & farmers to fairly export their goods. Lower Rates & Loosen - Fed!" the US president said according to Bloomberg.