Trump Delayed Reciprocal Tariffs After Bessent Wanted More Time on Deals

President Trump also decided to send out letters as a way to keep the pressure up

- Brian Schwartz & Gavin Bade

President Trump decided to delay the implementation of his so-called reciprocal tariffs to August 1 after advisers including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told him he could get trade deals with more time, according to people familiar with the matter.

Administration officials including Bessent felt as if they were making progress on deals with several trading partners such as India and the European Union as Trump's previous deadline approached, the people said. An initial pause on the reciprocal tariffs was set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday until Trump on Monday further postponed the implementation date for three weeks and sent out letters warning countries of the rates they would face on that day.

The weekend before his Monday announcement, Trump deliberated in phone calls and private conversations with allies from his private golf club in Bedminster, N.J., according to people familiar with the outreach. Trump was weighing whether he should give a new August deadline or send out letters without a date and simply a declaration of new tariff rates, the people said.

Trump had mused publicly about moving away from notching agreements to avert tariffs. His inclination to let the tariffs snap into effect shifted after he heard from Bessent that some deals were close but needed more time. Bessent was a key aide who successfully convinced Trump to place the initial 90-day pause on his April "Liberation Day" tariffs that rattled global markets.

White House spokesman Kush Desai said the U.S. is receiving heavy interest to lower tariffs, but Trump "has been clear: the United States, the world's biggest and best consumer market, holds the cards and leverage in negotiations to unilaterally set deals with appropriate tariff rates for our trading partners."