When President Donald Trump paused his sky-high “reciprocal” tariffs just a few days after introducing them on April 2 (what he called Liberation Day), he urged countries to negotiate deals with the United States within ninety days to avoid their reimplementation. Although the costs of those tariffs and the market uncertainty they generated are largely understood as the reason Trump reversed course, White House advisor Peter Navarro argued that the pause was intentional and strategic, stating that “we’ve got 90 deals in 90 days possibly pending here” because of that high-pressure strategy. Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett said in early April that more than fifty countries had reached out to begin negotiations. As the ninety-day clock continued to tick down, the U.S. trade representative made a last-ditch effort to close out deals in early June, asking countries to submit their best offers. So far, only two deals have materialized: a signed agreement with the United Kingdom and a preliminary agreement with Vietnam.
Trade Deals Need More Than Ninety Days | Council on Foreign Relations
