US President Donald Trump could extend the upcoming deadlines for reimposing high tariffs on imports from other countries, the White House said on Thursday.
The tariffs, originally set to be reinstated on July 8 and 9, are not seen as fixed deadlines as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media that these deadlines are “not critical”. She further added that the deadlines could be extended but that decision rests with the President.
The White House also stated that if any country fails to reach a trade agreement with the US by then, then Trump might offer them a deal himself. He could then set tariff rates that he sees as fair and beneficial for both the US economy and American workers. “And that means the president can pick a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is advantageous for the United States, and for the American worker,” Leavitt said.
Talking about the trade negotiations, Leavitt said that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is putting in a lot of effort and has had positive and useful conversations with several important trade partners.
Tariff deadline delay
White House Economic Adviser Stephen Miran had on Thursday said that he thinks the tariff deadlines will likely be extended for countries that are making a genuine effort to negotiate trade deals with the US. He said that in such cases, he doesn’t expect tariff rates to suddenly increase.
Back in June, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had also told lawmakers that Trump would most likely delay the July 8 deadline for enforcing the full range of reciprocal tariffs above the 10% minimum rate.
Earlier, when Trump had temporarily reduced these tariffs, officials said there was a chance to complete 90 trade deals in 90 days. But with the deadline coming soon, only two deals have been made so far and those are with China and the United Kingdom. Even those agreements are still in early stages and not fully finalised.
Trump’s trade deal with India
US officials have repeatedly said that they are very close to making a trade deal with India. However, nothing has been officially announced yet.
White House Economic Council head Kevin Hassett recently said they are very close to finalising deals with a few countries. He also mentioned that these announcements will likely come after Congress passes Trump’s big tax-and-spending bill, which the President hopes to sign by July 4.