Donald Trump has bought himself 90 days. Now he needs to use them.

By hitting pause on blanket tariffs for nearly every other country, while keeping the full force of penalties on China, President Trump has created space. The kind of space he loves: high-stakes, headline-grabbing, powerbroker territory. It’s exactly where he excels.

There’s no time to waste. Global markets have made clear their deep unease with all-out trade confrontation. Last week’s sharp selloffs were a warning shot.

Delay is no substitute for resolution, and businesses across continents are still holding their breath. But if Trump uses this pause as a launchpad for serious, strategic trade negotiations, it could be the turning point—both economically and diplomatically.

The White House press secretary confirmed that trade deals with over 15 countries are under review, and some announcements are imminent. That’s promising.

But there’s a wider opportunity here, not just to stitch up deals one by one, but to project the kind of confident, assertive American leadership that rebuilds trade alliances and reshapes supply chains without spooking investors or consumers.

That’s the balancing act: being tough without being reckless. And no one sells a deal better than Donald Trump. He thrives on the theatre of negotiation, the drama of brinkmanship, and the big reveal of a ‘win’, especially one that he can frame as a comeback from the edge.

That’s why this tariff pause matters. It gives Trump the chance to reset the narrative. Not as a retreat, but as a recalibration. An overture to allies. A signal to global markets that America is ready to deal.

Even JD Vance, the vice president, is echoing that tone, pointing to a strong agreement with the UK on the horizon. That kind of optimism is contagious, and vital. With the right momentum, a UK-US deal could be the first of many dominoes to fall.

Others—especially those nations that have bristled at the recent rhetoric—will be watching for signs that Washington is serious about building rather than just breaking.

This is not about backing off from China. The tariff levels remain sky-high—145% on Chinese exports to the US and 125% on American goods heading the other way. The economic divorce is still underway.

But isolating China while bringing others closer is a smart strategy. It puts pressure on Beijing while reinforcing America’s influence elsewhere.

This approach suits the President perfectly.

He gets to be the dealmaker and the hardliner. He can channel his instincts for competition into something that calms the markets, strengthens US industries, and restores confidence globally.

But timing is everything.

Announcing deals “very soon” is not enough. These agreements need to be bold, visible, and real. That means terms that move markets and headlines that reassure CEOs, workers, and voters. The worst outcome would be for the pause to fizzle into ambiguity, with deals stuck in draft form and tariffs merely postponed until the next crisis.

The world is jittery. Investors want certainty. Business leaders want clarity. Supply chains need direction.

If Trump can deliver a slew of agreements that lower trade barriers, improve access, and offer stability, it will be one of the most meaningful economic moves of his presidency.

It would also send a powerful message at home: that tariffs aren’t the end goal, but the leverage to get better terms. That global engagement doesn’t mean weakness. That American leadership still works best when it’s assertive, but constructive.

This is a rare window. The markets have flinched. Allies are listening. Pressure on China is mounting. It’s a moment tailor-made for Trump’s strengths.

If he leans into it, cuts deals quickly, and frames them as wins for American workers and businesses, he’ll not only cool the crisis—he’ll reassert control over the global economic conversation.

He doesn’t just need to do it. He needs to be seen doing it.

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London-born Nigel Green is founder and CEO of deVere Group. Following in his father’s footstep, he entered the financial services industry as a young adult. After working in the sector for 15 years in London, he subsequently spent several years operating within the international space, before launching deVere in 2002 with a single office in Hong Kong. Today, deVere is one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations, doing business in 100 countries and with more than $12bn under advisement. It specializes global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. In early 2017, it was announced that deVere would launch its own private bank. In addition, deVere also confirmed it has received its own investment banking license.