Trump, Offering Few Details, Insists ‘Everybody’ Wants to Make a Deal With the U.S.

A day after the Trump president capitulated his global mutual rates, he and the secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick insisted on the fact that one country after the other was coming to do business to avoid further economic pain.

But the devil is in detail and Mr. Trump and Mr. Lutnick offered very few. Instead, they said that things would work, without saying much more.

“Everyone wants to come to make an agreement, and we are working with many different countries, and everything will work very well,” said Trump during a cabinet meeting. “I think it will really work, very well, but we are in good shape.”

Mr. Lutnick interrupted: “We have so many countries to talk to. They came with offers that would never have arrived, but for the moves that the president made it asking for people to treat the United States with respect.”

But exactly which countries could conclude an agreement and on what remains unclear. For the most part, it is unlikely that the agreements that the Trump administration negotiate are global commercial agreements, which may require years for brokers and require the approval of the congress.

More limited business can benefit from some exporters, but in the end not to do much to help the American economy or reduce the commercial deficit of the United States, which Trump has targeted. Groups of manufacturing, technological and commercial activities in Washington declared Wednesday that they have not yet heard indications that the agreements gathered.

In the meantime, the S&P 500 collapsed by 3.5 percent Thursday, with investors still worried about volatility in the approach of Mr. Trump. Even with the 90 -day break that the president announced on Wednesday, the rates that imposed in the world remain extremely high. The goods from China now face a minimum tariff rate of 145 percent, a drastic increase in a country that provides much of what Americans buy.

After the announcement of the rates of Mr. Trump last week, foreign officials ran to Washington to try to prevent samples. Administration officials said that over 75 countries contacted them and the commercial representative of the United States, Jamieson Greer, met officials from Europe, South Korea, Ecuador and Mexico on Tuesday.

Vietnamese officials had offered to cut their rates in advance on American apples, cherries and ethanol and brought a sheet to the meeting that were detailed who were willing to bring, Greer said.

The office of the Treasury Secretary Scott Beesent on Thursday released a reading of the administration discussions with the deputy prime minister I have Duc Phoc of Vietnam. Trump declared last week that the United States had started discussing tariff rates with Vietnam.

“During their interviews, secretary Beesent underlined the importance of the continuous commitment with commercial partners and the need for quick and demonstrable progress to resolve exceptional issues,” said reading.

It was as specific as it was.

Trump tends to prefer to speak in vague terms, in part because it allows him to avoid being blocked. But that lack of specificity and lack of clarity on what was the final game, were part of the reason why the tariff ads sent spiral markets.

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said he spoke to the president of Switzerland on Thursday morning for an agreement. He said that the United States commercial representative office had already offered the table for more than 15 countries “.

Beesent said he spoke with representatives of Vietnam on Wednesday and that he had a “good chat” with the Japanese ambassador at his home the previous night during a Cherry Blossom party.

Japan was in front of the tail for a commercial agreement, followed by Wednesday from South Korea and India, said Bessent. He added that any commercial agreement would be “tailor -made” and “take some time”, because Mr. Trump wanted to be involved personally.

A person who is familiar with the discussions said that Japanese officials were weighing so that their country has one of the first commercial agreements, but that the interviews could be more difficult due to long -term disagreements in sectors such as car and steel.

Japan and the United States have long -standing commercial disputes dating back to the 80s, the era in which Mr. Trump would like production to the United States to return.

In the first term of Mr. Trump, he signed A “mini-disaster” with Japan which has faced only a few sectors and pursued the same type of limited agreement with India and other countries.

There are few signs that the United States will begin to actively negotiate with China at any time, even if Trump said Thursday that the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, “was a friend of mine for a long period of time”.

“We will see what happens with China,” said Trump. “We would like to be able to work an agreement.”

Tony Rump Contributed relationships.