Daniel Flatley and Tyler Kendall of Bloomberg report that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed hope that tariff rates will decrease as negotiations with U.S. trading partners progress, emphasizing that everything, including tariff levels, is open for discussion. He noted that nearly 70 countries have approached the U.S. for talks, with Japan receiving priority due to its swift outreach. Bessent acknowledged that trade deals may not be finalized before the reciprocal tariffs take effect on April 9, but assured that President Trump would be personally involved in the negotiations. The focus will be on addressing perceived trade imbalances and achieving fairer agreements. They write:
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that he hopes tariff rates will come down as negotiations get going with US trading partners, and that everything will be on the table. […]
The Treasury chief said that perhaps almost 70 countries now have approached the US, “so it’s going to be a busy April, May, maybe into June.” He said that he expected Japan to get priority thanks to having reached out to Washington swiftly. President Donald Trump spoke earlier in the day with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and the two agreed to designate negotiators to engage on trade. […]
The president “is going to be personally involved in these negotiations and he believes — as many of us do — that there’s been an unfair playing field. So the negotiations are going to be tough,” Bessent said.
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