The president says deals are close, with a 90-day pause on new import tariffs set to expire on July 8.
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.
By Tom Ozimek
