Washington will send out letters to some 150 countries instead of striking deals with each individually.
Washington will inform 150 countries of updated tariff rates with the US by post within the coming weeks, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday. It is no longer feasible to meet individually with every country seeking a trade agreement, he explained.
On April 2, dubbed by the US president as ‘Liberation Day’, the White House imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imported goods and additional surcharges on countries such as China, Mexico and Canada citing trade imbalances.
The US president indicated at the time that the White House would negotiate individual deals with all its trade partners in the following weeks, but he has now suggested that the administration will set terms unilaterally.
Speaking at a business roundtable in Saudi Arabia on Friday, Trump stated that the US will impose new tariff rates “over the next two to three weeks.” Washington had been approached by a large number of governments requesting individual deals but, Trump stressed, “it’s not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us.”
“[W]e have, at the same time, 150 countries that want to make a deal,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would be responsible for sending out letters detailing the new tariff rates that will apply to each country, Trump said.
The new rates “would be very fair, but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States.”
Major US retailers such as Walmart and Target have said they plan to raise prices in response to the rising cost of imports. Trump has dismissed the concerns, claiming any price hikes will be small and that businesses will adapt by shifting their supply chains.
The White House has not yet disclosed the content of the letters or the exact rates that will be applied. It is also unclear whether countries will be given a timeline or conditions under which the rates could change.
Image credit: Ian Taylor
B-b-but……… didn’t Trump tell us a few weeks ago that all those countries were so desperate to come over and kiss his ample posterior?
They did. Hence all the economic recovery America is beginning to experience.
You okay, friend?
Did Trump bring economic recovery to America? Or, just the US?
Or, not really the US, but soon I’m sure, the greatest recovery. They’re gonna have the greatest recovery.
Keep lapping it up.
In other news, President Trump will soon be increasing the debt limit so the US Goverment can keep functioning(keep the manufacturers of death, building weapons). Just like the other rhinos or elephants would do.
I think he was just referring to the US as “America” the way basically everyone has been doing colloquially for about 250 years now (I don’t know how so many people suddenly don’t understand this concept anymore).
Hey, you know who else produces murder and weapons of war? Literally everyone.
North Korea has the NCNK working on nukes.
Russia has hypersonic missiles which travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, rendering conventional defense systems largely ineffective due to their speed, maneuverability, and low-altitude flight paths.
Iran currently has hundreds of spinning centrifuges enriching Uranium at their Natanz nuclear facility. Those damned Israelis bombed some (but not all) of them in 2021, but the machine keeps ticking along.
China spends $63 billion annually on its arms industry. Four of the Chinese communist party’s arms “companies” rank among the world’s top 25.
Trump didn’t create the military industrial complex (in fact many in it have wanted him dead for years now), but even if he somehow shut it all down tomorrow and America began exporting only sandals and hipster shirts, that wouldn’t be the end of international warfare.
You can’t hate one particular nation just because they’re the best at doing what everyone else is already doing anyway.
It’s big and beautiful
Trump caves
Interesting article
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/forestry-rotorua-consultant-warns-of-tough-times-for-nz-log-exports-to-china/WS4GYYZESBACVP5H4OIM4R4OY4/
What happened to 90 Trade Deals in 90 days?
Peter Navarro
That was yesterday or last week or …
The time it takes to negotiate a trade deal varies widely depending on the complexity of the agreement, the number of parties involved, and political factors
On average, bilateral trade deals take around 18 months to negotiate
However, multilateral agreements—involving multiple countries—can take several years
For example, the Doha Round of WTO negotiations lasted over a decade without reaching a final agreement
Some trade deals, like the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, were completed in just four months, while others, such as the Canada-EU trade deal, took seven years
More illusions of grandeur and exercises in self harm and denial