With hours to go until the U.S. raises tariffs on goods imported from dozens of countries—including a 104% tax on Chinese imports—world leaders were still scrambling Tuesday to understand President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy and reach the right people in the Administration to secure an exemption.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Congress on Tuesday that “nearly 50” countries have approached him to address Trump’s blanket of new tariffs. Argentina, Vietnam and Israel have “suggested they will reduce their tariffs and non-tariffs barriers,” Greer said in testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.
But Trump isn’t budging anytime soon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. Trump is open to talking to countries on a case-by-case basis, she told reporters, but those negotiations wouldn’t stop the across-the-board 10% tariff on all imports that went into effect over the weekend. Higher tariff rates targeting dozens of countries are set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. That includes a 104% tariff on China, the top supplier of U.S. imports.
“Trump has a spine of steel. He will not break. America will not break under his leadership,” Leavitt said.
Administration officials continued to stress the prospect of the U.S. making new “deals” with other countries, but the timeline for such negotiations were murky. Leavitt confirmed that Trump insists on putting himself at the center of the negotiations, and is willing to consider offers unrelated to trade in exchange for reducing U.S. tariffs, including having countries cover the costs of hosting U.S. military troops and other foreign policy objectives.. “All options are on the table for each country but again these are going to be tailor-made deals,” Leavitt said.
During his visit to the Oval Office on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to remove Israel’s trade barriers. “Israel’s proactive approach should serve as a model for the rest of the world,” Leavitt said. The U.S. tariff on Israel is still set to increase to 17%.
Trump’s approval ratings have declined in recent weeks, as dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy has risen. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found his approval rating was at 43% last week, 4 points lower than when he took office in late January. A Wall Street Journal poll published Friday found that 54% of voters opposed Trump’s tariff plans.
In his testimony to Congress on Tuesday, Greer, Trump’s top trade negotiator, said the new tariffs are an effort to move the U.S. economy toward producing “real goods and services.” and less dependent on the financial sector and government spending. Greer acknowledged that the country was in the midst of a dramatic shift. “It is a moment of drastic, overdue change, but I am confident the American people will rise to the occasion as they have done before,” Greer said.
