By Tom Ozimek
President Donald Trump said on June 20 that he expects the United States will sign trade deals with both India and Pakistan, signaling growing momentum in his administration’s push to reshape global trade through tariff diplomacy.
Speaking to reporters upon arriving in New Jersey on Friday, Trump expressed optimism about reaching agreements with the two countries.
“It looks like we’re going to be making the trade deal with India and we had Pakistan in,” Trump said. “It looks like we’re going to be making a trade deal with Pakistan—and it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has deployed tariffs as a tool of economic and strategic leverage. First, he imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on nearly all imports, followed by a wave of reciprocal tariffs announced on April 2, which he dubbed “Liberation Day.” He then paused those higher tariffs for 90 days to allow countries to strike tailored agreements with Washington.
With that 90-day window set to expire on July 8, Trump suggested earlier this month that he may extend the deadline to allow negotiations to conclude. At the same time, he said such an extension might prove unnecessary if countries quickly agree to U.S. terms—or accept unilateral trade conditions dictated by Washington.
“I would extend the deadline, but I don’t think we’re going to have that necessity,” Trump told reporters on June 11 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. “We’re rocking in terms of deals,” the president added, pointing to recent agreements reached with China and the United Kingdom as examples of progress.
“We made a great deal with China,” he said. “We’re very happy with it … and hopefully they are too. That was a very big one.”
The China agreement includes continued exports of Chinese rare earths and industrial magnets critical to U.S. manufacturers, in exchange for a halt to efforts to revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the United States. While further details were undisclosed, the deal lays the groundwork for broader negotiations between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump also touted a new trade deal with the United Kingdom, which includes expanded market access for American goods—particularly agricultural exports such as beef. Under the agreement, the UK will lower or eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers on certain U.S. agricultural products, a move Trump says corrects unfair treatment of American producers. The deal is expected to generate roughly $5 billion in added value for U.S. agriculture.
As part of the UK deal, the United States will also establish a 100,000-vehicle annual import quota from Britain at a 10 percent tariff rate, along with exemptions for UK-produced steel and aluminum under a separate quota system.
Another trade deal is in the works with Canada. On June 16, Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a 30-day target to finalize an agreement. Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, said talks are advancing rapidly, with Ottawa’s goal being to “get the tariffs off, to get to a place of stability.”
Canada currently faces three separate sets of U.S. tariffs: global duties on steel and aluminum—recently doubled to 50 percent—along with levies on automobiles and auto parts, and a set of country-specific tariffs tied to concerns about border security and drug trafficking.
Asked on June 11 which countries may finalize deals before the July 8 deadline, Trump said his administration was in talks with about 15 nations, including Japan and South Korea. If negotiations stall, he said, the United States may simply issue final terms.
“At a certain point, we’re just going to send letters out … saying: ‘This is the deal—you can take it or you can leave it. You don’t have to use it, you don’t have to shop in the United States,’” Trump said.
National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett echoed that momentum in a May 29 interview, telling Fox News that “there are many, many deals coming.”
