‘Very close to trade deal with India': Trump says EU deal also possible as tariff deadline looms
The Trump administration has been negotiating trade deals with America's trading partners for better trading relations and to balance a huge US trade deficit ahead of the deadline of August 1, when duties on most of the US imports are set to rise. The US has been able to finalise deals with the UK, Vietnam, Indonesia and plans are in final stage for some smaller countries in Africa and the Caribbean.
During an interview with Real America's Voice on Wednesday, Trump was asked which trade deals were on the horizon and he responded saying, 'We're very close to India, and…we could possibly make a deal with (the) European Union.'
The comments by the US president come as an Indian delegation arrived in Washington on Monday to discuss and finalise trade deals. The EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic was also on the way to Washington on Wednesday for tariff discussions.
Talking about the EU's trade deal, Trump said 'The European Union has been brutal, and now they're being very nice. They want to make a deal, and it'll be a lot different than the deal that we've had for years,' Reuters reported.
However, when asked to detail about the trade agreements with Canada which is also, like the EU, preparing countermeasures if the talks with the US fail to produce a deal, Trump said 'Too soon to say.'
On Tuesday, Trump had said the United States is working on a deal that could give it access to the Indian markets as he announced a trade deal with Indonesia wherein Jakarta will face a reduced tariff rate of 19%.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump sues Murdoch, WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
U.S. President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal on Friday (July 18, 2025) over the publication of a bombshell report on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein. The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw Mr. Trump trying to hit back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage. The 79-year-old Republican had vowed to sue "the ass off" Murdoch and his newspaper after it reported that in 2003 the then-real estate magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and referring to their shared "secret." In another bid to dampen outrage among his own supporters about an alleged government cover-up of Epstein's activities and 2019 death, Mr. Trump ordered his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution against the disgraced financier. In a filing in New York, Ms. Bondi cited "extensive public interest" for the unusual request to release what is typically secret testimony. Epstein, a longtime friend of Mr. Trump and multiple high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida. The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Mr. Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles. Epstein's death -- declared a suicide -- before he could face trial supercharged the narrative. When Mr. Trump returned to power for a second term this January, his supporters clamored for revelations about Epstein's supposed list of clients. But Ms. Bondi issued an official memo in July declaring there was no such list. The discontent in Mr. Trump's "Make America Great Again" base poses a rare challenge to the Republican's control of the political narrative in the United States. It remained unclear whether a court would authorize the unsealing of the grand jury testimony. But even if such material were made public, it was also unclear whether it would shed much, if any, light on the main questions raised in the conspiracy theories -- particularly the existence and possible contents of an Epstein client list. Asked on Friday by reporters if he would pursue the broader release of information related to the case, Mr. Trump did not answer. Naked woman and signature Mr. Trump was for years close with Epstein and the two were photographed and videoed together at parties, although there has never been evidence of wrongdoing. The Wall Street Journal article published late on Thursday was damaging because it indicated a shared interest in sex. The Journal reported that Mr. Trump had wished Epstein a happy 50th birthday in 2003 with a letter featuring a hand-drawn naked woman and referring to their "secrets." The letter was reportedly among a slew of well-wishes from other rich and well-known figures for a birthday album. A furious Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the purported letter was a "Scam" and "Fake." Mr. Trump also said that the Journal's chief editor, Emma Tucker, had been told the letter was fake and that she shouldn't publish it. Mr. Trump reacted in a series of furious social media posts, saying "it's not my language. It's not my words." "I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women," he said. U.S. media has published multiple drawings done by Mr. Trump in the past, with several dating to the early 2000s when he used his celebrity status to donate sketches for charity.
Deccan Herald
21 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights till August 24
No aircraft operated by Indian airlines, or military and civilian flights that are Indian-owned or leased, will be allowed to use Pakistani airspace, according to a NOTAM (notice to airmen) that came into effect at 3:50 pm India time on Friday.
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Confidential: Heavy hitters
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is learnt to be leading the battery of lawyers appearing for Justice Yashwant Varma in the challenge against in-house inquiry mechanism that indicted him. Sibal will be joined by former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, and Senior Advocates Sidharth Luthra and Siddharth Agarwal. Both Sibal and Luthra have handled impeachment proceedings in the past. While Sibal appeared for Justice V Ramaswami in 1993 and spearheaded the motion against former CJI Dipak Misra, Luthra appeared for Justice S K Gangele. Soft Diplomacy Many delegates, who were part of the post-Operation Sindoor global outreach, had called for more soft diplomacy and exchange programmes. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seems to have taken this up. During a meeting Friday with a South Korean delegation led by former prime minister Kim Boo Kyum, Birla proposed the idea of parliamentary friendship groups from the Indian side. Such groups from both sides are expected to have interactions in future. Quick Exit Many officials and politicians tend to overstay in their official bungalows long after demitting office. Former IAS officer Amitabh Kant, however, vacated his official bungalow at 6, New Moti Bagh within a month of resigning as India's G20 Sherpa on June 15.
