The US administration is hoping to strike ’90 deals within 90 days’ following the imposition of sweeping reciprocal tariffs earlier this month. President Donald Trump has made several follow-up announcements in the ensuing days — eventually announcing a 90 day pause on higher levies. The POTUS also suggested on that exceptions could be made to the remaining 10% baseline tariffs against all countries.
“There could be a couple of exceptions for obvious reasons but I would say 10% is a floor,” Bloomberg quoted Trump as telling reporters on Friday evening.
He didn’t elaborate on the “obvious reasons” or suggest any shift in his broader tariff policy. Hours later however, the Trump administration announced a tariff exemption for smartphones, computers and electronics.
Guidance issued by the US Customs and Border Protection late on Friday evening also included exclusions for other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel TV displays, flash drives, and memory cards. It was not immediately clear whether the White House was planning any additional concessions.
90 deals in 90 days
Both US President Donald Trump and his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have repeatedly insisted that as many as 75 countries have reached out seeking trade deals. They have however declined to name these nations and it remains unclear whether a deal will ultimately materialise and what its contents might be. Comprehensive trade agreements typically require years of negotiations and congressional approval to move forward. And as the Trump team looks for quick wins amid mounting pressure, experts opine that the 90 day timeline is already seeming far too short.
“Teeing up these decisions is going to take some serious negotiations. There’s no way during this timeframe we’re doing a comprehensive agreement with any of these countries…The onus is going to be on them to show that they can quickly conclude agreements with countries, and instill some confidence in the market and with other trading partners that there is an off-ramp here,” former US Trade Representative chief negotiator Wendy Cutler told Reuters.