The president told reporters on Thursday that China has been in regular contact with the White House to hash out an end to the ever-escalating tariff war disrupting bilateral trade.
“I would think over the next three or four weeks — I think maybe the whole thing could be concluded,” Trump speculated from the Oval Office.
“It’s not that important because honestly, we’re going to have a deal. I believe we’re going to have a deal with China,” Trump said. “And if we don’t, we’re going to have a deal anyway because we’re going to set a certain target and that’s going to be it.”
Asked if he has communicated directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said it’s “just not appropriate” to say.
“I mean, I’ve never said whether or not [direct talks with Xi] happened, but I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and I think it’s going to continue,” the president said. “And I would say they have reached out a number of times.”
A White House official offered a similar timeline when it came to trade negotiations with the U.K.
Asked how long trade negotiations between the two allies could take, the official told the Daily Telegraph, “Two weeks, or maybe three.”
If trade deals were to be struck with China and the U.K. in approximately three weeks, it would come about a week after Trump’s 100th day in office.
King Charles III is reportedly arranging for Trump to make a state visit to the U.K. later this year — an invitation to which the president has eagerly expressed interest.
“I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William, we have really just a great respect for the family,” Trump said on Thursday. “And I think they’re setting a date for September.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press on Tuesday that the administration is juggling over a dozen trade negotiations with foreign countries.
“We’ve had more than 15 deals, pieces of paper, put on the table — proposals that are actively being considered,” Leavitt said.
HONG KONG SUSPENDS POSTAL SERVICE TO US DUE TO TARIFFS AND ENDING TAX EXEMPTION
“As we’ve said consistently, more than 75 countries have reached out,” she continued. “So there’s a lot of work to do. We very much understand that, but we also believe that we can announce some deals very soon.”
While the Trump administration is projecting confidence on trade, its diplomatic wing is preparing to abandon hope in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“We’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday after meeting with officials. “So we need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks.”
The Kremlin has been giving the U.S. and Ukraine a run-around on ceasefire proposals, pushing maximalist demands and reneging on agreements while maintaining that Russia sincerely desires peace.
