Summary
The Trump administration admitted it sent formal letters to several countries urging them to submit trade proposals by July 8, the deadline for its “90 deals in 90 days” initiative.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called them “friendly reminders,” but critics mocked the move as desperate.
The initiative began in April after Trump paused new tariffs amid market unrest.
Online commentators questioned whether deals will materialize, accusing the administration of backpedaling from bold claims about trade leverage and partner enthusiasm.
Look, the US is/was a great country and for a long time a great partner.
Nowadays I wouldn’t touch it with a 10’ pole.
You have a president who openly says he doesn’t respect you, and he’ll only take a deal if you lose, makes jokes about how making a deal is lining up to kiss his ass, and is fighting everyone else at the same time.
He’s also openly said his trade policies are just bargaining chips, so there’s little long term risk to ignoring them.
It works in everyone else’s favour to just do boring and watch this fall apart.