After pausing the “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days until July 8, the Donald Trump administration has reminded the countries to quickly move to seal their trade deals and provide their best offers to the United States before the tariff deadline ends, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners accessed by Reuters.
The draft, from the office of the United States Trade Representative, provides a window into how President Donald Trump plans to bring to a close unwieldy negotiations with dozens of countries that kicked off on April 9. The tariffs were paused after stock, bond and currency markets revolted over the sweeping nature of the levies.
The document suggests an urgency within the administration to complete deals against its own tight deadline. While it’s not clear who would have received the letter, it was mostly directed at the countries already in active negotiation with the US. According to the reports, the US was engaged in talks with the European Union, Japan, Vietnam and India, among others.
Earlier, soon after pausing the tariffs, the United States government was reportedly in talks with 15 different countries about changing or reducing tariffs (which are taxes on imported goods).
Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to the White House, had said the countries have made proposals or deals they hope the US will agree to. He added that the US was close deals with some of the countries.
“USTR has informed us that there are maybe 15 countries now that have made explicit offers that we’re studying and considering and deciding whether they’re good enough to present the president,” Kevin Hassett said.
The US began considering offers from 15 countries on tariff agreements after Donald Trump surprised everyone by pausing tariffs for most countries – possibly encouraging them to try making their own deals with the US amid a trade war which has erased billions of dollars from world market.
A USTR official said trade talks were ongoing. “Productive negotiations with many key trading partners continue at a rapid pace. It is in all parties’ interest to take stock of progress and assess any next steps.”
