President Donald Trump teased a “major” trade deal announcement on Wednesday night, though he declined to say with which country. It didn’t remain a mystery for long, as The New York Times revealed the country shortly afterward.
“Big News Conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M., The Oval Office, concerning a MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “THE FIRST OF MANY!!!”
A little more than an hour later, the Times said the country in question is the United Kingdom.
“President Trump is expected to announce on Thursday that the United States will strike a trade agreement with Britain, according to three people familiar with the plans,” the paper reported in a piece with the bylines of Maggie Haberman, Ana Swanson, and Tyler Pager. It would be the first trade agreement reached since Trump imposed tariffs on the vast majority of imports on April 2. International trade agreements must be ratified by Congress.
Spokespersons for the White House and the U.K. embassy in Washington declined to comment to the Times, which added:
The Trump administration appears to be nearing deals [with] India and Israel, and is continuing to negotiate with South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other nations. Still, Mr. Trump once again displayed his unpredictable approach to economic policy on Tuesday when he downplayed the prospect of trade deals, saying other countries needed such agreements more than the United States.
Details of the agreement between the U.S. and the U.K. are not clear as of this writing. The two allies have reportedly discussed lowering U.K. tariffs on U.S. automobiles and agricultural products. Currently, the U.S. has a standing 10% tariff on British goods.
