US president faced criticism from Democrats after tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% imposed on more than 80 countries

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Donald Trump has been accused of using forced labor as “a pretext” to impose a fresh wave of tariffs on dozens of countries, as critics warned of higher prices for Americans.

The US president faced swift criticism from Democrats after his officials presented their latest effort to make his signature economic policy permanent following a string of high-profile legal setbacks. Some Republicans also expressed concern.