In the wake of President Donald Trump’s bold “liberation day” declaration, his administration is sending mixed signals on whether countries that come to the negotiating table should expect tariff relief — or prepare to navigate an increasingly protectionist U.S. trade stance with no clear off-ramp.
“It depends,” Trump said Thursday night aboard Air Force One when asked if countries offering trade deals could expect concessions. “If somebody said that we’re going to give you something that’s so phenomenal, as long as they’re giving us something that’s good.”
According to Trump, world leaders are already making the call. “Every country’s called us,” he told reporters. “That’s the beauty of what we do. We’re in the driver’s seat.”
Trump pointed to China as a potential example, floating the idea that the U.S. might ease tariffs if Beijing strikes a deal over ByteDance’s video-sharing app, TikTok. “Maybe China will call and say, ‘well, we’re upset with the tariffs,’ and maybe they want to get something a little bit in order to get TikTok approved,” the president said.
A Strategy or a Standoff?
Despite the president’s openness to making deals, top members of his administration are walking a harder line.
“This is not a negotiation,” Trump’s top trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNBC bluntly. “This is a national emergency.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed that message, telling CNN, “I don’t think there’s any chance Trump is going to back off his tariffs. This is the reordering of global trade.”
The new policy, introduced via executive order this week, slaps a baseline 10% tariff on all imports, with higher rates for countries with large trade deficits with the U.S. It also intensifies pressure on nations to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers, including intellectual property theft, export subsidies, sweatshop labor, and complex import licensing requirements.
Behind the scenes, the White House circulated talking points advising Republican allies to avoid framing the tariffs as negotiable. Instead, they are to be described as a necessary response to an economic “national emergency,” according to a Washington Post report.
Yet even with the official messaging clamping down on talk of relief, some close to the president are hinting otherwise.
“I wouldn’t want to be the last country that tries to negotiate a trade deal with @realDonaldTrump,” tweeted Eric Trump, the president’s son. “The first to negotiate will win — the last will absolutely lose.”
Pressed on this, a White House official clarified that Eric Trump is not part of the administration but confirmed that the president believes: “It’s not a negotiation until it’s a negotiation.”
Mixed Messaging, Market Jitters
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for his part, maintained a posture of uncertainty. “I’m sure there will be a lot of calls. I’m just not sure there will be negotiations,” he told Bloomberg News.
Still, some Republican lawmakers believe that quiet discussions are already underway.
“I think there is negotiation going on right now behind the scenes,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). “That’s the only place negotiations should go on.”
Others, like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), expressed cautious optimism. “Whether or not the plans are public doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “What matters to me is whether or not the plans are well thought out.”
Within Trump’s executive order lies a key clause that offers a hint of flexibility. It states that if countries “take significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade arrangements,” the president may adjust tariffs accordingly — a potential opening for deals, albeit on Trump’s terms.
Economic Shakeup and Political Divide
The markets are already reacting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,700 points Thursday, its largest single-day decline since the 2020 COVID-19 crash, and fell another 1,000 points at Friday’s open.
While free-market conservatives and investors voice concern over the shock to global supply chains and consumer prices, Trump-aligned populists in the GOP are applauding the move.
“If he feels that a country has presented a viable plan — he makes that decision — I would fully support it,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). “The important part of the policy is that we finally have a president standing up for working Americans.”
The Road Ahead
The administration has yet to provide a clear timeline or framework for how — or when — tariff relief might be granted. Nor is it clear which officials would lead any negotiations, if they do occur. For now, the message seems to be: make your best offer — and hope the president likes it.
As Trump positions the U.S. as the gatekeeper of global trade, allies and adversaries alike are left guessing what kind of deal — if any — will get them off the tariff hook.
