Trump Says US Doesn't Plan To Extend Tariff Pause, Would Rather Do This

US President Donald Trump has indicated that he is not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond the July 9 deadline, when the negotiating period he previously set would expire. The Republican said that instead of extending the deadline, his administration would rather send countries a letter, laying out the trade penalties they face, unless they make deals with the United States.

The US President had previously talked about sending similar letters in May and earlier this month, though negotiations continued.

"I don't think I'll need to because, I could-there's no big deal," Trump said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday when asked if the pause would not be extended.

He further clarified his stance on the July 9 deadline, saying, "I'm gonna send letters. That's the end of the trade deal."

"I'd rather just send them a letter, a very fair letter, saying 'Congratulations, we're going to allow you to trade in the United States of America. You're gonna pay a 25 per cent tariff, or 20 per cent or 40 or 50 per cent. I would rather do that," he said. 

Trump further stated that the letters sent out by his administration would explain tariff rates set by the US--citing the trade deficits with each country and how they treat America--suggesting that negotiations won't be required in some cases.

"Some countries, we don't care. We'll, you know, we'll just send a high number out. But we're going to be sending letters out starting pretty soon. No, we don't have to meet. We understand. We have all the numbers," he said. 

He also singled out Japan to give a hypothetical example of a letter, saying, “I could send one to Japan. ‘Dear Mr. Japan, here's the story: you're going to pay a 25 per cent tariff on your cars.'”

Earlier on Friday, Trump played down the deadline at a White House news conference, saying it would be difficult to work out separate deals with each nation. 

The Trump administration had set a goal of reaching 90 trade deals in 90 days. Negotiations continue, but "there are 200 countries, you can't talk to all of them," Trump said in the interview.

India-US Trade

India's trade team has extended its stay in Washington to iron out differences as the two sides look to clinch a deal before a July 9 deadline when higher US tariffs are set to kick in, according to a report by Bloomberg.

US President Donald Trump last week said "a very big" deal with India was likely soon amid a hardening stance of both nations.

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