AFP, Washington

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered new tariffs on certain medicines, alongside an overhaul of metal duties, doubling down on his trade agenda a year after unleashing trade wars on virtually all partners.

The latest pair of orders he signed pile pressure on pharmaceutical companies to manufacture more in the United States, while separately targeting firms that officials accuse of “artificially manipulating” metals prices.

Finished products containing substantial amounts of steel, aluminum and copper will also face a lower 25-percent tariff on their full value instead of being targeted for the amount of metals they contain, a move to simplify an onerous system for firms.

It is not immediately clear how these would affect consumer prices, but a senior US official told reporters they did not expect to see any effect on affordability.

The moves come on the anniversary of what Trump had dubbed “Liberation Day,” when he announced varying tariff rates on goods from dozens of economies last year, roiling financial markets and snarling supply chains.

Although the Supreme Court struck down these global tariffs this February, Trump has been working to reinstate duties using different authorities.