Trump Team Races to Form Trade Deals After Tariffs Sow Global Chaos - The New York Times


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The Trump Administration's Trade Deal Challenge

The article discusses the Trump administration's ambitious goal of forging numerous individual trade deals within 11 weeks, a task deemed highly challenging by trade experts. This comes after the implementation of tariffs that have sown global economic chaos.

The Use of Tariffs as Leverage

President Trump's strategy involves using tariffs as leverage to secure quick agreements, with promises of "90 deals in 90 days" made by his trade advisor. However, this approach has created significant economic disruption, particularly for small businesses reliant on Chinese imports.

Challenges and Concerns

The escalating trade war with China, marked by substantial tariffs, has brought some trade to a standstill. The article highlights potential bankruptcies amongst US businesses and expresses concerns about the stock market volatility. While Trump stated a desire to strike a deal with China, he made it contingent on China's actions.

Unsustainable Situation

Some officials within the administration acknowledge the unsustainability of the situation with China and are exploring strategies to mitigate the tariff impacts. The article also points out concerns about the negative effect on the stock market. The S&P 500's 10% drop since Trump's inauguration is cited as a significant concern.

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For a president who advertises himself as a paramount deal maker, the next 11 weeks will be a pivotal test, as his advisers race to accomplish what no other administration has done before and reach dozens of individual trade deals with other governments.

President Trump has promised big gains for American trade, and officials from Japan, South Korea, India and elsewhere have been pushing for agreements as they look to forestall punishing tariffs. But trade experts say the administration has set up a seemingly impossible task, given that traditional trade deals typically take months or years to negotiate.

Mr. Trump has tried to use tariffs as leverage to notch quick agreements, and his trade adviser, Peter Navarro, has promised “90 deals in 90 days.” But the levies are creating chaos and financial pain for many businesses, and they have not brought some of America’s largest trading partners, including China, to the table.

Some U.S. trade with China has ground to a halt after the countries imposed triple-digit tariffs on each others’ products, and a wave of bankruptcies, especially among small U.S. businesses that rely on Chinese imports, appears to be looming if the trade barriers are maintained.

Some Trump officials recognize that the situation with China is not sustainable and have been strategizing how to reduce the tariffs between the countries, two people familiar with the discussions said. Another person familiar with the discussions said administration officials were concerned about the hit to the stock market, which has experienced intense volatility and some of its worst trading days in years. The S&P 500 is down 10 percent since Mr. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he wanted to make a deal with China. But he said what happens with his tariffs on China “depends on them.” He denied any concerns about what the tariffs are doing to small businesses, but said that the high tariff “basically means China isn’t doing any business with us.”

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