Will Trump Negotiate Tariffs? White House Claims Over 50 Countries Want To Talk

 

President Donald Trump holds up a chart on tariffs while speaking during a trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2 in Washington, DC

Trump administration officials claimed Sunday more than 50 countries have reached out about negotiating the president’s sweeping tariffs—reportedly including major countries like India, Israel and Vietnam—as the president has suggested he could be willing to reach deals to lower his tariffs, despite some of his aides denying that.

Key Facts

“More than 50 countries have reached out to the president to begin a negotiation” on tariffs, Kevin Hassett, the White House’s national economic council director, told ABC News on Sunday, claiming countries are doing so “because they understand they bear a lot of the tariff.”

Trump imposed widespread tariffs on foreign imports from nearly all countries last week, which have roiled the stock market and led to global economic chaos, with economists warning the tariffs will lead to higher prices for consumers and could spark a recession.

While China responded to Trump’s announcement with 34% retaliatory tariffs on its imports of U.S. goods, other countries are instead seeking to negotiate with the Trump administration, according to multiple reports.

The White House has offered divergent views on whether Trump could negotiate with other countries and lower tariffs in response, with some aides denying Trump’s tariffs are a negotiation while the president told reporters Thursday the tariffs give the U.S. “great power to negotiate” and he could roll back tariffs “if [a country] said that we’re going to give you something that’s so phenomenal.”

Which Countries Have Offered To Negotiate With Trump On Tariffs?

Cambodia: Cambodia’s commerce ministry sent a letter to the Trump administration pledging to cut tariffs on its U.S. imports from 35% to 5% after Trump levied 49% tariffs on the nation—a major manufacturer of some American products, like shoes—if the U.S. opens discussions on lowering Trump’s tariffs.

European Union: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested that while Europe is “prepared to respond” to Trump’s tariffs and could impose retaliatory moves in response, it was also hoping to negotiate with the president, holding off on announcing any immediate countermeasures and saying the bloc is “always ready” to talk.

United Kingdom: British officials believe they could reach a deal to remove or reduce Trump’s 10% tariffs on the U.K. “within weeks,” according to The Washington Post, as the government has already been in negotiations with the Trump administration, offering to lower tariffs on U.S. goods and preparing to offer a lower tax rate for American companies in the U.K.

Vietnam: In a letter Saturday, Vietnam’s Communist Party offered to remove all tariffs on U.S. goods in hopes of lowering the 46% tax Trump imposed for Vietnamese imports, in exchange for the Trump administration pausing its tariffs on the country’s exports by at least 45 days.

India: Indian officials have suggested they’re likely to try and negotiate with Trump rather than impose any major retaliatory moves, with an unnamed official telling Bloomberg the country is “seeking dialogue and not confrontation.”

Taiwan: President Lai Ching-te said Sunday Taiwan will not impose any retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports and he wants to negotiate with the Trump administration with a goal of “zero tariffs” between the U.S. and Taiwan, Reuters reports, with the leader also pledging to increase Taiwan’s U.S. investments.

Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Trump on Monday and Israel canceled its tariffs on U.S. imports even before Trump’s tariff rollout last week, with Netanyahu saying he hopes Trump will ease the 17% tariffs imposed on Israeli imports after the two leaders meet.

Indonesia: Indonesia’s chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said Sunday the country will pursue a diplomatic solution to the 32% tariffs Trump levied on the nation’s goods rather than imposing retaliatory tariffs, Reuters reports, and the country is planning to send a delegation to the U.S. to negotiate with Trump.

Surprising Fact

Trump levied tariffs on several uninhabited islands or places with only a few residents, such as the Heard and McDonald Islands, an Australian territory that’s primarily inhabited by penguins. It will likely be more difficult for those nations to reach any negotiations about lowering their tariffs. Lutnick defended the tariffs on those countries Sunday, claiming to CBS News they were necessary or else other countries could try to use them to get around Trump’s tariffs.

What Has The Trump Administration Said About Negotiating On Tariffs?

While Trump has suggested he could negotiate with other countries on tariffs, other aides have claimed the president is not open to making deals, especially in the short term. Trump “is not going to back off what he announced yesterday. He’s not going to back off,” Lutnick told CNN on Thursday after Trump’s tariffs were announced, also telling CNBC, “I don’t think the word exemption is going to be a factor. I don’t think that’s such a thing.” Lutnick maintained that stance Sunday, telling CBS News, “There’s no postponing [the tariffs taking effect], they’re definitely going to stay in place for days or weeks.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also denied to NBC News on Sunday that the president is going to get rid of other countries’ tariffs in the short term, saying trade deficits with other countries are “not the kind of thing you can negotiate away in days or weeks.” Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro previously similarly suggested to CNBC that Trump was not open to negotiation, saying last week, “Let me make this very clear. This is not a negotiation…this is a national emergency.” In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Navarro expressed slightly more openness to negotiations, but decried what he called “non-tariff cheating” by other countries. Navarro suggested countries will have to make concessions beyond lowering tariffs on U.S. goods in order to get the White House to lower tariffs on their products, such as removing value-added taxes (VAT) or ending policies like Europe not accepting meat imports from the U.S. “We’re always willing to listen .. if you want to come and talk to us,” Navarro said about other countries negotiating with the U.S.

Key Background

Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on other countries Wednesday, fulfilling a longtime campaign promise to levy tariffs on foreign goods in an effort to return manufacturing to the U.S. The president’s plan has long been decried by economists, who have warned any tariffs would raise prices for consumers and harm the U.S. economy—a scenario that started playing out after Trump announced his tariffs, as stocks plunged and economists forecasted a recession could now be on the way. Trump has continued to double down on his economic plan despite the chaos his tariffs have caused, saying on Truth Social on Saturday his tariffs are an “ECONOMIC REVOLUTION” and Americans should “HANG TOUGH.” “It won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic,” Trump wrote. “We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”