Washington- (LM) For days, President Donald Trump and his White House team maintained their commitment to imposing sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on numerous countries. They even dismissed reports suggesting the president was contemplating a 90-day pause—news that briefly boosted the stock market. However, the pause on higher tariff rates has now become a reality, with a few notable exceptions. This shift puts the reordering of the global economic landscape on hold, delaying Trump’s vision of a revitalized American manufacturing sector.
The White House claims that the decision to pause tariffs, followed by negotiations with individual countries, was part of their strategy all along. “We’ve had more than 75 countries contact us, and I imagine, after today, there will be more,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated to reporters shortly after the announcement.
While this framing may not be surprising, it comes in the context of investor panic, a declining bond market, and increasing criticism from Republicans and the public that preceded the announcement.
This raises the question: was this a strategic retreat in response to unforeseen pushback, or simply another instance of Trump’s “art of the deal” negotiating strategy at play? As the administration navigates this complex landscape, the implications for both domestic and international economic policies remain to be seen.
Leadership Magazine
