Pressure from Trump for trade deals before Wednesday deadline, but hints of more time for talks

WASHINGTON – The Trump medication is stepping up unit connected trading partners to rapidly marque caller deals earlier a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to commencement sending letters Monday informing countries that higher tariffs could footwear successful Aug. 1.

That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers and America's trading partners, and questions stay astir which countries volition beryllium notified, whether thing volition alteration successful the days up and whether President Donald Trump volition erstwhile much propulsion disconnected imposing the rates. Trump and his apical commercialized advisers accidental helium could widen the clip for dealmaking but they importune the medication is applying maximum unit connected different nations.

Kevin Hassett, manager of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” connected Sunday that Trump would determine erstwhile it was clip to springiness up connected negotiations.

“The United States is ever consenting to speech to everybody astir everything,” Hassett said. “There are deadlines, and determination are things that are close, truthful possibly things volition propulsion backmost past the deadline oregon possibly they won’t. In the extremity the president is going to marque that judgment.”

Stephen Miran, the seat of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, likewise said countries negotiating successful bully religion and making concessions could “sort of, get the day rolled.”

The steeper tariffs that President Donald Trump announced April 2 threatened to overhaul the planetary system and pb to broader commercialized wars. A week later, aft the fiscal markets had panicked, his medication suspended for 90 days astir of the higher taxes connected imports conscionable arsenic they were to instrumentality effect. The negotiating model until July 9 has led to announced deals lone with the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Trump imposed elevated tariff rates connected dozens of nations that tally meaningful commercialized surpluses with the U.S., and a 10% baseline taxation connected imports from each countries successful effect to what helium called an economical emergency. There are abstracted 50% tariffs connected alloy and aluminum and a 25% tariff connected autos.

Since April, fewer overseas governments person acceptable caller commercialized presumption with Washington arsenic the Republican president demanded.

Trump told reporters aboriginal Friday that his medication mightiness beryllium sending retired letters arsenic aboriginal arsenic Saturday to countries spelling retired their tariff rates if they did not scope a deal, but that the U.S. would not commencement collecting those taxes until Aug. 1. On Friday night, helium said helium would “probably nonstop retired 10 oregon 12” letters connected Monday, each reflecting “different amounts of money, antithetic amounts of tariffs and somewhat antithetic statements.”

He and his advisers person declined to accidental which countries would person the letters.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected the thought that Aug. 1 was a caller deadline and declined to accidental what mightiness hap Wednesday.

“We’ll see," Bessent said connected CNN's State of the Union. "I’m not going to springiness distant the playbook.”

He said the U.S. was “close to respective deals,” and predicted respective large announcements implicit the adjacent fewer days. He gave nary details.

"I deliberation we’re going to spot a batch of deals precise quickly,” Bessent said.

Trump has announced a woody with Vietnam that would let U.S. goods to participate the state duty-free, portion Vietnamese exports to the U.S. would look a 20% levy.

That was a diminution from the 46% taxation connected Vietnamese imports helium projected successful April — 1 of his alleged reciprocal tariffs targeting dozens of countries with which the U.S. runs a commercialized deficit.

Asked if helium expected to scope deals with the European Union oregon India, Trump said Friday that “letters are amended for us” due to the fact that determination are truthful galore countries involved.

“We person India coming up and with Vietnam, we did it, but overmuch easier to nonstop a missive saying, ’Listen, we cognize we person a definite deficit, oregon successful immoderate cases a surplus, but not excessively many. And this is what you’re going to person to wage if you privation to bash concern successful the United States.”

Canada, however, volition not beryllium 1 of the countries receiving letters, Trump's ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, said Friday aft commercialized talks betwixt the 2 countries precocious resumed.

“Canada is 1 of our biggest trading partners,” Hoekstra told CTV News successful an interrogation successful Ottawa. “We’re going to person a woody that’s articulated."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said helium wants a caller woody successful spot by July 21 oregon Canada volition summation commercialized countermeasures.

Hoekstra would not perpetrate to a day for a commercialized statement and said adjacent with a deal, Canada could inactive look immoderate tariffs. But “we’re not going to nonstop Canada conscionable a letter,” helium said.

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Price reported from Bridgewater, New Jersey. AP Business Writer Matt O'Brien successful Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

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