WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump mentioned on Wednesday (Jun 11) he could be keen to increase a Jul 8 deadline for finishing commerce talks with nations earlier than larger US tariffs take impact, however didn’t consider that may be obligatory.
Trump advised reporters earlier than a efficiency on the Kennedy Heart that commerce negotiations have been persevering with with some 15 nations, together with South Korea, Japan and the European Union.
“We’re rocking by way of offers,” he mentioned. “We’re coping with fairly a couple of nations they usually all wish to make a take care of us.” He mentioned he didn’t consider a deadline extension could be “a necessity.”
Trump mentioned the US would ship out letters in coming weeks specifying the phrases of commerce offers to dozens of different nations, which they may then embrace or reject.
“At a sure level, we’re simply going to ship letters out … saying, ‘That is the deal. You may take it, or you possibly can depart it,'” Trump mentioned. “So at a sure level we’ll try this. We’re not fairly prepared.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised lawmakers earlier that the Trump administration may prolong the July commerce deal deadline – or “roll the date ahead” for nations negotiating in good religion, in sure circumstances.
A 90-day pause in Trump’s broadest, “reciprocal” tariffs will finish on Jul 8, with just one commerce deal agreed with Britain and a few 17 others at numerous phases of negotiation.
“It’s extremely seemingly that these nations – or buying and selling blocs as is the case with the EU – who’re negotiating in good religion, we are going to roll the date ahead to proceed the good-faith negotiations,” Bessent advised the Home Methods and Means Committee. “If somebody shouldn’t be negotiating, then we won’t.”
