Topline
President Donald Trump on Friday suggested he could extend, or more likely shorten, the 90-day pause on the “Liberation Day” tariffs he imposed in April as the fate of his goal of making “90 deals in 90 days” remains in doubt.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House … More
Key Facts
Trump said “we could extend it, we could make it shorter, I’d like to make it shorter,” when asked by a reporter if the July 9 deadline still holds as the date when he promised the levies would go back into effect.
Trump made the comments after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt alluded a day earlier to the possibility he could adjust the deadline.
Trump and Leavitt also suggested Trump would impose new tariff rates on countries that fail to negotiate new agreements with the Trump administration: “we can do whatever we want . . . I’d like to just send letters out to everybody [that say] ‘congratulations, you’re paying 25%,’” while Leavitt told reporters Thursday “the president can pick a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is advantageous for the United States, and for the American worker.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also predicted to the House Ways and Means Committee earlier this month that it was “highly likely” Trump would push back the July deadline.
Trump has promised to make “90 deals in 90 days” during the tariff pause, but so far has only announced new trade deals with China and the United Kingdom.
This is a developing story and will be updated.