Washington — White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that “rough outlines of the deals are becoming clear” ahead of a key tariff deadline this week, with agreements like the U.K. and Vietnam deals serving as “guidelines for what might happen” with other countries.
“There’s going to be quite a bit of news this week, and I think the headline of the news is that there are going to be deals that are finalized,” Hassett said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
With President Trump’s 90-day freeze on sweeping U.S. tariffs set to expire Wednesday, the White House has touted new trade agreements with countries in recent weeks, like China, the U.K. and Vietnam. But there are still questions heading into the week with other deals yet to be announced.
The president on April 2 unveiled a 10% baseline tariff on almost all U.S. trading partners while increasing levies on dozens of other countries. Days later, as investors appeared spooked, Mr. Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of his new tariffs, keeping the 10% baseline in place while raising the tariff rate on goods imported from China. Chinese goods are now subject to 30% across-the-board tariffs.
Hassett said Sunday that there are a “whole number” of deals that U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer has negotiated with foreign governments, along with letters to be sent to countries where “deals aren’t advanced enough” this week. Mr. Trump told reporters Friday that the U.S. will start sending letters Monday to around a dozen countries.
Though Hassett wouldn’t share any details about the countries set to receive the letters, he said the notices could go to both small and large trading partners. Hassett outlined the possibility of getting a deal “at the last minute” with the letters, saying “until we see everything that plays out, I think that we need to just hold our fire and watch for the news this week.”
Asked by senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang whether the president will extend the pause for some of the most important trading partners if deals don’t come together by Wednesday, Hassett said “the United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything that’s going on in the world.”
“There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, and so maybe things will push back past the deadline, or maybe they won’t,” Hassett said. “In the end, the president’s going to make that judgment.”
Mr. Trump said Friday that he would likely start the tariffs on Aug. 1. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the president would send the letters, informing countries that “‘if you don’t move things along, then, on Aug. 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level.’” Bessent clarified that “it’s not a new deadline,” but rather “we are saying this is when it’s happening.”
Hassett touted the trade strategy Sunday, saying “people are responding to President Trump’s potential threats to have high tariffs on countries by moving their activity here into the U.S., which is creating jobs.”
“I think there’s a race right now to get activity into the U.S., and in part, that race has been kicked off by President Trump,” Hassett added.
Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
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