The US government could postpone the deadline of July 9, from which the highest customs tariffs in imports from dozens of countries should enter into force, the White House said Thursday.
When asked about these import surcharges, the White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt said the stay “maybe it could extend.” “But it is up to the president to make this decision,” he added.
On behalf of the defense of national production, US President Donald Trump imposed, from his return to the White House, the duties of sectoral customs, as in steel and aluminum.
“The deadline is not definitive”
But since April he has also addressed dozens of commercial partners of the United States with prohibitive rates, before changing their minds by stopping them until July 9, the time to carry out trade negotiations.
“The deadline is not final,” said Karoline Leavitt on Thursday.
According to her, “the president can simply offer an agreement to these countries if they refuse to offer us one before the deadline.”
This means that Donald Trump can “choose reciprocal customs duties that he considers advantageous to the United States,” he added.
Regarding the progress of commercial negotiations, Mrs. Leavitt said that Maison Blanche (USTR) representative, Jamieson Greer, “works very hard” and had “good productive discussions with many of our main commercial partners.”
Source: BFM TV
