By David Lawder, Andrea Shalal and Julia PayneWASHINGTON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump launched his global tariff assault into overdrive on Wednesday, announcing a new 50% tariff on U.

President Donald Trump said the US would begin levying a 50% tariff on copper imports from Aug. 1, confirming a move that will hurt American producers of everything from automobiles to appliances.

Trump on Tuesday said he would impose 50 per cent tariffs on copper imports, an announcement that reverberated across the market for the world’s most important industrial metal over the past two days. The US president also floated the idea of a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals.