Commerce Secretary says US is close to first tariff deal, days after Trump bragged he already had 200 deals [View all]

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 30 April 2025 00:59 EDT


Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has teased that the U.S. is very close to its first tariff deal – but declined to name the country involved. And he’s still waiting to hear from the leaders of the country for the final sign off, he told CNBC Tuesday. That could be a surprise to President Donald Trump, who boasted in an interview with Time magazine last Thursday that he had already struck 200 deals.

“I’ve made 200 deals,” he told Time. “You’ve made 200 deals?” he was asked. He responded: “100 percent.” Yet he refused to name any countries.

Lutnick told CNBC: “I have a deal done, done, done, done — but I need to wait for their prime minister and their parliament to give its approval, which I expect shortly.”

The secretary and other members of President Donald Trump’s administration have signaled progress is being made on tariffs but have yet to announce a single specific deal nearly a month after “Liberation Day,” when Trump revealed the imposition of a 10 percent across-the-board tariff on countries, plus a n (sic) additional supplemental levy depending on America’s relationship with various trading partners.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tariff-deal-lutnick-commerce-bessent-b2741959.html