President Trump announced on Friday that the White House will soon notify dozens of countries about the specific unilateral tariffs they will be required to pay on exports to the United States. He explained that the move comes as negotiations for one-for-one trade agreements with every country are taking too long.
“We have, at the same time, 150 countries that want to make a deal, but you’re not able to see that many countries,” Trump said at a business roundtable in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is still not clear how many countries will be sent the letters of trade agreement and when the process will commence.
Trump Clears His Trade Deals
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“So at a certain point, over the next two to three weeks, I think [Treasury Secretary] Scott [Bessent] and [Commerce Secretary] Howard [Lutnick] will be sending letters out, essentially telling people –- we’ll be very fair –- but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States,” the President added.
Trump, 78, announced sweeping tariffs targeting all countries trading with the United States on April 2, saying that the rates were intended to match the tariffs those countries impose on American goods.
On April 9, Trump temporarily paused the tariffs for 90 days to allow room for trade negotiations but maintained a minimum 10% rate for all countries except China.
Since then, the White House has reached tentative trade deals with both the UK and China. Under the UK deal, the 10% tariff remains in place, while Britain agreed to open its agricultural market to U.S. products.
In the agreement with China, the U.S. slashed its tariff on Chinese goods to 30%, and China lowered its tariff on American products to 10%.
Making the Deals Clear
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The UK deal also exempts 100,000 British-made vehicles from Trump’s new 25% global auto tariff, subjecting them instead to the 10% rate, and removes tariffs on UK aircraft components, including Rolls-Royce engines.
Trump said on May 12 that his relationship with China, a Communist nation, is “very, very strong.”
“I’ll speak with President Xi [Jinping] maybe at the end of the week,” Trump told reporters at the time, adding that “to me, the biggest thing that came out of that meeting is they’ve agreed — now we have to get it papered — but they’ve agreed to open up China.”
The 25% tariff on cars, steel, and aluminum will continue to apply to the Asian nation.
Earlier this month, trade adviser Peter Navarro told reporters that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was scheduled with meetings through July to negotiate with several foreign countries, suggesting that more trade deals are likely on the way.
White House officials said that the 10% deal with the UK would act as a “model” for upcoming trade deals, adding that tariff rates for other nations likely won’t fall below that level.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNN’s “State of the Union” on May 11 that the 10% rate is expected to remain in place for the “foreseeable future.”
