WH: 18 Nations Offer Trade Deals; Progress Made on China

The White House said Tuesday it is progressing on a potential trade agreement with China, and that it has received 18 trade proposals from other countries and that a total of 100 nations seek to reach a deal with the U.S.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs against foreign imports, with the exception of China, giving other nations a chance to negotiate deals to avert the additional levies. On Monday, Vice President JD Vance reportedly said the U.S. and India agreed to a roadmap for a trade agreement, and the U.S. and Japan also reportedly are close to an interim trade deal.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that she spoke earlier in the day with the administration's trade team, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Peter Navarro, Trump's senior adviser for trade and manufacturing.

"There is a lot of progress being made," Leavitt said during a press briefing that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform. "We now have 18 proposals on paper that have been brought to the trade team. Again, these are proposals on paper that countries have proposed to the Trump administration and to our government.

"You have Secretary Bessent, Secretary Lutnick, Ambassador Greer, NEC Director Hassett and Peter Navarro, the entire trade team meeting with 34 countries this week alone. We are moving at Trump speed to ensure these deals are made on behalf of the American worker and the American people."

Leavitt did not offer details of the 18 nations that have offered trade deals to the U.S., but she did provide an update on negotiations with China, which has been hit by 145% tariffs by Trump. Beijing responded with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports.

"I asked the president about this before coming out here, and he wanted me to share with all of you that we're doing very well in respect to a potential trade deal with China," said Leavitt, adding there have been no direct talks between Trump and China President Xi Jinping. "As I mentioned, there have now been 18 proposals and more than 100 countries around the world who are wanting to make a deal with the United States of America, and the president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal with China.

"So, we feel everyone involved wants to see a trade deal happen, and the ball is moving in the right direction."

Leavitt bemoaned what little attention was given to the framework reached between the U.S. and India during Vance's trip to New Delhi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"And just yesterday, it seemed to get a little bit lost in the news, and I think it's a disservice to the American public that it did," Leavitt said. "The vice president announced terms of reference for a trade deal with India. That is a big deal. We know when we look at the numbers, the monetary trade barriers and the nonmonetary trade barriers from India, they have been ripping off the United States and American workers for a very long time.

"So, the fact that the vice president, with Prime Minister Modi on that trip in India, announced these terms of reference, which is essentially a framework to move the ball forward to sign a good trade deal between our two nations, is great progress, and it speaks to the work ethic and the real labor that's being put into this effort by the president's trade team."

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