Trump Signals End to 90-Day Tariff Pause as U.S. Pushes for Trade Deals

 President Donald Trump has announced that his administration does not intend to extend the 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries beyond July 9. Speaking to Fox News, the President indicated that countries would soon be formally notified of impending trade penalties—unless bilateral agreements are reached with the United States.

The announcement coincides with the final stages of a preliminary trade agreement between the U.S. and India, according to a report by the Hindustan Times. The agreement is said to be nearing completion, pending final political consensus. Both sides are reportedly eager to announce a breakthrough, with the preliminary accord expected to cover select sectors of bilateral trade. A more comprehensive deal is anticipated by October.

President Trump stated that official notifications would be dispatched “pretty soon” ahead of the looming deadline. “We’ll evaluate how a country treats us—some are good, others not so much. Some we won’t even bother to assess; we’ll just send out high tariff rates,” he remarked. In characteristically blunt language, Trump described the letters as saying, “Congratulations, you’re allowed to shop in the United States of America. You’ll pay a 25, 35, 50, or even 10 per cent tariff.”

At a White House press briefing on Friday, Trump downplayed the July 9 deadline, acknowledging the complexity of negotiating individual deals with numerous countries. The administration had previously set an ambitious target of finalizing 90 trade agreements in 90 days.

Tensions with Canada also escalated last week, as Trump abruptly ended trade talks in response to Ottawa’s decision to enforce a digital services tax targeting American tech giants. Describing the move as a “blatant attack,” Trump warned of imminent tariff hikes on Canadian imports. The Canadian tax, which comes into effect Monday, imposes a 3% levy on digital services revenues from Canadian users exceeding $20 million annually, with retroactive enforcement dating back to 2022. Companies affected include Amazon, Meta, Google, and Apple.

In parallel developments, the U.S. dispatched a new trade proposal to the European Union, while an Indian delegation arrived in Washington for further negotiations. Talks are also underway with Japan and two additional nations engaged in advanced discussions. The Japanese government released a statement affirming its commitment to securing a mutually beneficial agreement with the United States.