WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Trump administration is pressuring trade partners to make a deal with them as tariff threats loom.
Right now, President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs on dozens of foreign countries are paused, but they’re set to take effect on July 8th unless the countries strike a deal with the U.S.
Adding urgency to the negotiations the White House says the U.S. sent letters to all of its trading partners asking for the countries to submit their best trade offers by Wednesday.
“This letter, was simply to remind these countries that the deadline is approaching. And the president expects good deals and we are on track for that. I will emphasize,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The White House says U.S. leaders are actively involved in negotiations and optimistic about the outcomes.
“Our team who is deeply involved in this sees these deals moving in the right direction,” Leavitt said.
On Tuesday U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer met with EU trade negotiators on the sidelines of an international conference in Paris. German Economics and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche says the ongoing trade turmoil is hurting economies across the globe.
“We all hope and we all do our best to end the conflicts as soon as possible,” Reiche said.
Meanwhile, trade negotiations between the U.S. and China have hit a snag with each country accusing the other of violating their temporary tariff truce. The White House says President Trump and China’s President Xi plan to talk directly about those issues this week.
“There will be a leader-to-leader talk very soon and when that happens, as always, we will let you know,” Leavitt said.
Separately President Trump is moving ahead with a plan to double tariffs on steel and aluminum with an executive order imposing a 50% tax on those imported materials starting Wednesday.
“This is a president who doesn’t just talk the talk. He walks the walk to and he’s delivering on his promises to bolster our steel and aluminum Industries in this country and to protect those jobs,” Leavitt said.