White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt continued to insist the president’s tariffs and other economic policies would lead to an economic boom, amid questions from reporters over U.S-China relations and tariff deals with other countries.
Since “Liberation Day” on April 2 when President Donald Trump announced new tariff rates for nearly all of America’s trading partners, the U.S. has raised its tariffs on China several times to a new rate of 145%. China, in return, raised its tariffs on the U.S. to 125%; the European Union also raised its tariffs on a range of American goods to 25% this week. On Wednesday, the administration announced a 90-day pause on all new tariffs for all countries besides China, and the EU paused its retaliatory rates in response.
While the administration says over 75 countries are attempting to negotiate rates, the White House has said it won’t release the list of those countries and the details of the negotiations are currently mostly unknown to the public. Israel has said it’s making changes to its trade policies with the U.S. and the White House has said Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Italy are seeking out deals.
“President Trump has said China wants to make a deal on tariffs. The president says he has a great relationship with Chinese President Xi; he’s willing to speak with him directly. Why doesn’t the president just pick up the phone and get this ball going?” one reporter asked.
“The president, as I said from the podium just a few days ago… would be gracious if China intends to make a deal with the United States. If China continues to retaliate, it’s not good for China,” Leavitt responded.
“So is he waiting for China to make the first move?” the reporter asked.
Leavitt said she wouldn’t comment on the countries’ discussions, of if any were happening, but that the White House would provide updates “moving forward” and the president remains “optimistic” about a deal with China.
“Why would any of our allies work with us to isolate China in a trade war if we’re treating friend and foe alike?” another reporter followed up.
“You’ll have to talk to our allies who are reaching out us. The phones are ringing off the hooks. They’ve made it very clear they need the United States of America. They need our markets, they need our customer base,” Leavitt replied.
Another reporter later said he had a source within the administration who had told him the administration was “weeks away” from a tariff deal with any country.
“How soon can we see that and what country is that?” he asked.
“I won’t reveal or get ahead of our trade team as these negotiations are obviously ongoing, but I can tell you very good progress has been made,” Leavitt said. She added that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had shared good news on that front.
“He confirmed that more than 15 offers are already on the table, which is remarkable in just a mere matter of days.”
