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.

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.

Trump’s new tariff letters have sent shockwaves across global markets as he targets 22 countries with tough new trade threats just weeks before the August 1 deadline. From close allies like Japan and South Korea to BRICS nations like Brazil and South Africa,