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White House steps up pressure for trade deals ahead of Wednesday deadline

There are plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1. That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers, and America's trading partners.

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Mark Schiefelbein/AP/File
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, April 2, 2025, in Washington.

The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1.

That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers, and America's trading partners, and questions remain about which countries will be notified, whether anything will change in the days ahead, and whether President Donald Trump will once more push off imposing the rates. Mr.聽Trump and his top trade advisers say he could extend the time for dealmaking but they insist the administration is applying maximum pressure on other nations.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS鈥 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥 on Sunday that Mr.聽Trump would decide when it was time to give up on negotiations.

鈥淭he United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything,鈥 Mr.聽Hassett said. 鈥淭here are deadlines, and there are things that are close, so maybe things will push back past the deadline or maybe they won鈥檛. In the end the president is going to make that judgment.鈥

Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, likewise said countries negotiating in good faith and making concessions could 鈥渟ort of, get the date rolled.鈥

The steeper tariffs that Mr.聽Trump announced April 2 threatened to overhaul the global economy and lead to broader trade wars. A week later, after the financial markets had panicked, his administration suspended for 90 days most of the higher taxes on imports just as they were to take effect. The negotiating window until July 9 has led to announced deals only with the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Mr.聽Trump imposed elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the U.S., and a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. There are separate 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on autos.

Since April, few foreign governments have set new trade terms with Washington as the Republican president demanded.

Mr.聽Trump told reporters early Friday that his administration might be sending out letters as early as Saturday to countries spelling out their tariff rates if they did not reach a deal, but that the U.S. would not start collecting those taxes until Aug. 1. On Friday night, he said he would 鈥減robably send out 10 or 12鈥 letters on Monday, each reflecting 鈥渄ifferent amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs and somewhat different statements.鈥

He and his advisers have declined to say which countries would receive the letters.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected the idea that Aug. 1 was a new deadline and declined to say what might happen Wednesday.

鈥淲e鈥檒l see," Mr.聽Bessent said on CNN's State of the Union. "I鈥檓 not going to give away the playbook.鈥

He said the U.S. was 鈥渃lose to several deals,鈥 and predicted several big announcements over the next few days. He gave no details.

"I think we鈥檙e going to see a lot of deals very quickly,鈥 Mr.聽Bessent said.

Mr.聽Trump has announced a deal with Vietnam that would allow U.S. goods to enter the country duty-free, while Vietnamese exports to the U.S. would face a 20% levy.

That was a decline from the 46% tax on Vietnamese imports he proposed in April聽鈥 one of his so-called reciprocal tariffs targeting dozens of countries with which the U.S. runs a trade deficit.

Asked if he expected to reach deals with the European Union or India, Mr.聽Trump said Friday that 鈥渓etters are better for us鈥 because there are so many countries involved.

鈥淲e have India coming up and with Vietnam, we did it, but much easier to send a letter saying, 鈥橪isten, we know we have a certain deficit, or in some cases a surplus, but not too many. And this is what you鈥檙e going to have to pay if you want to do business in the United States.鈥

Canada, however, will not be one of the countries receiving letters, Mr. Trump's ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, said Friday after trade talks between the two countries recently resumed.

鈥淐anada is one of our biggest trading partners,鈥 Mr.聽Hoekstra told CTV News in an interview in Ottawa. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have a deal that鈥檚 articulated."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he wants a new deal in place by July 21 or Canada will increase trade countermeasures.

Mr.聽Hoekstra would not commit to a date for a trade agreement and said even with a deal, Canada could still face some tariffs. But 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to send Canada just a letter,鈥 he said.

This story was reported by the Associated Press. Michelle L. Price reported from Bridgewater, New Jersey. AP Business Writer Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

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