Bessent: Imposing Aug. 1 tariffs 'will put more pressure' on trade partners for deals
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The Treasury secretary and Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick both seem to view Aug. 1's steep tariffs as added leverage in talks that will continue past that date.
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4 min read
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investment
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July 21, 2025
03:00 PM
CNBC
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Market analysis reveals What's particularly noteworthy is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that implementing a "higher tariff level" on countries would put more "pressure on those countries to come with better agreements. ""The important thing" with President Donald Trump's trade negotiations, "is the quality of the deal, not the timing of the deals," he told CNBC
Additionally, Furthermore, Trump has postponed his country-specific tariff deadline three times since his April "Liberation Day" announcement
Moreover, Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, US, on Friday, May 23, 2025 (which is quite significant)
At the same time, Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that implementing high tariff rates on countries starting August 1 "will put more pressure on those countries to come with better agreements (something worth watching). "Bessent's remarks suggest that he views President Donald Trump's planned massive tariffs on top trading partners — which have been postponed until Aug, considering recent developments
Nevertheless, 1 — as not so much a deadline to ink deals, but as another negotiating tactic to squeeze the impacted countries to acquiesce to favorable terms for the United States. "We'll see what the president wants to do," Bessent said on CNBC when asked whether next month's deadline could be ext for countries that are engaging in ductive talks, an idea that has been endorsed by administration officials in recent months. "But again, if we somehow boomerang back
I would think that a higher tariff level will put more pressure on those countries to come with better agreements," said Bessent
Meanwhile, Investors and importers appear torn between bracing for Trump's tariffs to actually take effect next month on one hand, and betting that Trump will postpone them yet again on the other
The steep levies, some as high as 40%, could cripple both the U, given the current landscape
Nevertheless, Economy and the economies of trading partners
Read more CNBC coverageTreasury Secretary Bessent calls for a review of 'the entire' Federal ReserveBessent: Collecting Aug, in this volatile climate. 1 tariffs 'will put more pressure' on trade partners for dealsTrump disputes WSJ report on Bessent talking him out of firing PowellAug (something worth watching), in today's market environment. 1 is 'hard deadline' for Trump's tariffs, Lutnick saysTrump complains Epstein file pressure: 'Nothing will be good enough'Trump says releasing Epstein files wouldn't satisfy 'troublemakers,' as pressure mountsJustice Department asks court to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcriptsTrump sues Murdoch for $10 billion over WSJ story on Epstein birthday letterTrump pushes for 15-20% minimum tariffs on European Union: FTEpstein files: House Speaker Johnson wants 'maximum transparency'Bessent's remarks come as top Trump administration officials have insisted in recent days that Aug
Nevertheless, 1 is a "hard deadline
Moreover, "Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, for instance, said Sunday that "nothing stops countries from talking to us after August 1, but they're going to start paying the tariffs on August 1. "Bessent also said that "our trading partners were told that the rates could boomerang back toward the April 2 levels
Furthermore, ""We can continue talking then, but again, we're ceeding apace with the negotiations, but we're not going to rush for the sake of doing deals
In contrast, "Trump's tariff deadline has shifted a number of times since his April 2 announcement imposing steep levies on trading partners, casting doubt on whether the Aug
At the same time, 1 deadline will hold, or if it's viewed within the administration as another tool to get trading partners to the negotiating table
In another sign that Bessent views Aug. 1 tariffs, once imposed, as another negotiating tool, he said Monday that the administration is "more concerned with high quality" trade deals, than getting deals done by August 1
Meanwhile, "The important thing here is the quality of the deal, not the timing of the deals," Bessent said.
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