President Donald Trump said Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on imports to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual deals.
Acknowledging the complexity of negotiating with over 170 nations, Trump told reporters before departing for Iowa on Thursday that the letters will be sent to 10 countries at a time, laying out tariff rates such as 20% to 30%.
“We have more than 170 countries, and how many deals can you make?” Trump said. “They’re very much more complicated.”
The Republican president said he expected “a couple” more detailed agreements with other countries after Wednesday’s announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam.
However, he said he preferred to notify most other countries of a specific tariff rate, skipping detailed negotiations.
Trump’s comments underscored the challenges of completing trade agreements on everything from tariffs to non-tariff barriers such as bans on agricultural imports.
Top Trump aides said in April they would work on 90 deals in 90 days, an ambitious goal that was met with skepticism from trade experts familiar with arduous and time-consuming trade deals of the past.
Many countries with an initial 10% duty rate have not had any negotiations with the Trump administration, with the exception of Britain, which reached a deal in May to keep a 10% rate and won preferential treatment for some sectors including autos and aircraft engines.
Major trading partners now involved in negotiations were hit with much higher tariff rates, including 20% for the European Union, 26% for India and 24% for Japan. Other countries that have not engaged in trade talks with the Trump administration face even higher reciprocal tariffs, including 50% for the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho, 47% for Madagascar and 36% for Thailand.
Trump on Wednesday announced an agreement with Vietnam that he said cuts U.S. tariffs on many Vietnamese goods to 20% from his previously threatened 46%. Many U.S. products would be allowed to enter Vietnam duty free. (Reuters)
