In an interview this week, President Trump claimed that the US has signed 200 trade agreements, but he would not reveal with whom he has done so.
His remarks follow his announcement two weeks ago that he would halt most of the worldwide tariffs he slapped earlier this month for 90 days to facilitate trade talks with the hundreds of nations hit hard by the harsh taxes. A 90-day moratorium was imposed on all countries except China.
Trump boasted, “I’ve made 200 deals,” in an extensive interview with Time Magazine that was published on Friday.
Trump did not elaborate on the details of the accords or reveal which nations he had struck arrangements with when pressed. Once the discussions are “finished,” he said, “over the next three to four weeks,” he will disclose them.
“Now, I’ll take into account the possibility that some nations may request a change,” he stated.
The administration has failed to announce a single trade agreement thus far, despite Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro’s earlier statement that it was “possible” to sign 90 accords during the 90-day tariff respite. Assuming each alleged contract is with a separate country, Trump would have to have struck arrangements with nearly every nation on the earth, since there are over 200 countries in the world.
During his visit to India this week, Vice President JD Vance made it clear that the Trump administration and New Delhi are “hard at work on a trade agreement.” Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, and Vance supposedly “made very good progress,” according to Vance.
Other countries are in the midst of talks as well, including Japan. However, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba recently assured his parliament that Tokyo will not give in to American demands in order to end talks quickly.
In an interview with Time Magazine, Trump compared the United States to a “department store” and foreign nations to consumers, pledging to be unyielding in trade discussions.
He made it clear that he owned the business and set the pricing on behalf of the American people. “If you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay,” he stated.