President Donald Trump faces a self-imposed July 9 deadline to reach trade deals with dozens of U.S. trading partners, but the White House isn’t worried.
“The deadline is not critical,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. “The president can simply provide these countries with a deal if they refuse to make us one by the deadline and that means the president can pick a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is advantageous for the United States and for the American worker.”
On April 2, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on nearly every nation that trades with the U.S. Seven days later, he paused those higher tariff rates for 90 days to give his trade team time to cut deals with key trading partners. That 90-day deadline ends July 9 and thus far Trump has brought home two deals: A limited trade pact with the United Kingdom and a trade truce with China.
Leavitt said that the staff at the Office of the United States Trade Representative continues to work toward deals.
“As for the deals, our United States Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer … he has had very good and productive discussions with many of our key trading partners,” she said.
Asked what would happen after July 9, Leavitt said that it would be up to Trump.
“That’s a decision for the president to make and I will let him make it,” she said.
Earlier this month, Trump reached a deal with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The deal didn’t cover all trade between the two nations. Under the terms of the U.K. deal, Trump will lower tariffs on the U.K. aerospace sector to zero. Trump also reduced tariffs on U.K. auto imports to 10% on the first 100,000 vehicles. U.S. imports of U.K. steel products will face a 25% duty.
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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