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The administration says foreign governments are racing to the United States to negotiate, but exactly which countries might strike a deal — and over what — remains unclear.
- April 10, 2025, 5:47 p.m. ET
A day after President Trump capitulated on his global reciprocal tariffs, he and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that one country after another was coming to them to make deals to avoid further economic pain.
But the devil is in the details, and Mr. Trump and Mr. Lutnick offered very few. Instead, they said that things would work out, without saying much more.
“Everybody wants to come and make a deal, and we’re working with a lot of different countries, and it’s all going to work out very well,” Mr. Trump said during a cabinet meeting. “I think it’s going to work out really, very well, but we’re in good shape.”
Mr. Lutnick chimed in: “We have so many countries to talk to. They have come with offers that they never, ever, ever would have come with but for the moves that the president has made demanding that people treat the United States with respect.”
But exactly which countries might strike a deal, and over what, remains unclear. For the most part, the deals that the Trump administration negotiates are unlikely to be comprehensive trade agreements, which can take years to broker and require congressional approval.
More limited deals may benefit some exporters, but not ultimately do much to help the U.S. economy or diminish the U.S. trade deficit, which Mr. Trump has targeted. Manufacturing, tech and retail business groups in Washington said Wednesday that they had heard no indications of deals coming together yet.
