TMTPOST -- U.S. President Donald Trump on   Wednesday suggested   a   15%   tariff rate is   the bottom   of his worldwide reciprocal   levies.

Credit：China Central Television

"We ’ ll have a straight, simple tariff of anywhere between 15% and 50%.   A couple of — we have 50 because we haven ’ t been getting along with those countries too well,"   Trump said at an AI summit in Washington   Wednesday, according   to a Bloomberg report.  

Trump ’ s comment conflicted   with his remarks last week, when the   president   said   he would send letters to   more than   a hundred countries, informing   them of U.S. tariffs   that   could   be set   at   as   low as   10%.   

Trump on July   15   said that the United States   would soon inform   a group   of   minor   trading partners of   tariffs   higher   than 10%. "We ’ ll be releasing a letter soon talking about many countries that are much smaller, where you might not do an [ individual ] letter," Trump said after returning from Pittsburgh.

"We'll probably set one tariff for all of them," Trump said, adding that the tariff rate   could be "a little over 10% tariff" on goods from at least 100 nations.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick interjected that the nations with goods being taxed at these rates would be in Africa and the Caribbean, places that generally do relatively modest levels of trade with the U.S. and would be relatively insignificant for addressing Trump's goals of reducing trade imbalances with the rest of the world.

"We ’ ll have well over 150 countries that we ’ re just going to send a notice of payment out, and the notice of payment is going to say what the tariff" rate will be, Trump told reporters   at   the White   House   on   July 16.   He added that   countries   receiving these letter were   "not big countries, and they don ’ t do that much business."   

Trump   revealed later July 16   that   he would probably directly   setting 10%   or 15%   tariffs for these   countries.   "We ’ re going to put out one number"   to   nearly 150 countries, and the tariff rate would "be probably 10 or 15%, we haven ’ t decided yet,"   Trump said in an interview with Real America ’ s Voice broadcast.

Trump has so far released letters   to heads   of   more than 20 U.S. trading   partners, threatening   new tariffs   starting August   1   if no deal will   be made with the   U.S.   ahead of the deadline.   Brazil   is   facing 50%   tariffs   according to Trump ’ s letter, the highest tariff   level   among those receiving his   letters.  

Trump   on Tuesday announced "massive"   deal including a 15% reciprocal tariffs on Japan, making the   Asian ally a   trading partner   that would face the   lowest levies.