President Donald Trump says he has made “200 deals” on tariffs and expects them to be finalized within the next three to four weeks, according to an interview with Time magazine published Friday. Asked about trade adviser Peter Navarro’s promise of “90 deals in 90 days,” Trump said, “there’s many deals,” adding that he’s negotiating directly with companies and friendly countries.
In typical style, Trump framed U.S. trade as a business transaction:
We are a department store, and we set the price. I meet with the companies, and then I set a fair price, what I consider to be a fair price, and they can pay it, or they don't have to pay it. They don't have to do business with the United States, but I set a tariff on countries. Some have been horrible to us. Some have been okay. Nobody's been great. Nobody's been great.
Trump claimed tariffs are bringing in massive investment—“$7 trillion of new plants, factories, and other things”— and reiterated that countries relying on U.S. military support, like Germany and Japan, may face added scrutiny.
When asked about China, Trump said President Xi Jinping had called him, adding, “Everybody wants to shop here.” Read the complete transcript here.
