President Donald Trump signaled on Friday that upcoming tariff deadlines could be adjusted, leaving open the possibility of extending or shortening planned increases on imports from multiple countries.
Asked at the White House whether the July 9 deadline for negotiations with the European Union was final, Trump said, “No, we can do whatever we want. We could extend it. We could make it shorter.” His comments also appeared to reference a separate July 8 date when a three-month pause on his administration’s “reciprocal tariffs” is set to expire, which could restore higher country-specific tariff rates.
Under an executive order signed on April 9, tariffs were temporarily reduced to a universal 10% rate for 90 days. Unless formally updated, the original, higher tariffs — some reaching up to 50% — will automatically return in just under two weeks.
The policy affects a wide range of U.S. trading partners. The initial tariff announcement in April caused significant market volatility and drew concern from investors, importers, and international leaders. After the initial announcement, Trump introduced a 90-day pause to allow time for individual trade agreements to be negotiated.
So far, the administration has reached only limited trade frameworks with China and the United Kingdom, while negotiations with the European Union and other countries remain incomplete.
“We’ve made a deal with probably four or five different countries,” Trump said Friday. “So at a certain point, over the next week and a half or so, or maybe before, we’re going to send out a letter … and we’re just going to tell them what they have to pay to do business in the United States.”
White House officials have echoed the president’s suggestion that the deadline could be flexible. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted Thursday that an extension is possible but would be at the president’s discretion.
Legal challenges to the tariffs are ongoing. In late May, a federal trade court ruled that the law used to impose them did not grant the authority claimed by the administration, though a federal appeals court has since put that ruling on hold.
The final decision on whether to maintain, extend, or revise the tariffs is expected in the coming days and could affect businesses and trading partners worldwide.
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