In the news again, Donald Trump. More signals, fewer specifics.
The president hinted over the weekend at new trade deals-but with whom, he would not say. He implied that the tariffs could be eased from the gargantuan 145% imposed on imports from China in the future, yet he declared there is currently no plan for a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise, you could never do business with them,” Trump said during a Sunday interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. “And they want to do business very much.”
The comments landed amid ongoing investor anxiety and global concerns about the scope of Trump’s trade war. So far, he’s slapped high tariffs on everything from steel to small parcels from China, while threatening even more.
Tariff talk but no formal dialogue — yet
While China said last week it was evaluating proposals from U.S. officials, and even drafted a list of tariff exemptions on U.S. goods, hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough were dimmed by Trump’s remarks aboard Air Force One.
“No talks with Xi are scheduled,” he told reporters.
That disconnect between public threats and behind-the-scenes diplomacy continues to define the administration’s approach. On one hand, Trump insists China “deserves” the tariffs and that they won’t hurt U.S. business. On the other, officials in his camp are reportedly weighing a phased rollback to revive formal negotiations.
Canada steps in, Hollywood next?
In another key development, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to Washington this week for trade discussions. The timing is interesting — Carney just won reelection on a platform that openly criticized Trump’s trade policies.
And in a new twist, Trump late Sunday floated the idea of a 100% tariff on foreign-made movies, without offering details. The mere mention was enough to rattle media stocks, with Netflix (NFLX) among the early casualties on Monday.
What this means
While there’s no formal deal in place, Trump’s softer tone on tariffs could be an early sign that pressure is building to cool things off — especially as corporate earnings, consumer prices, and international relations all start to show strain.
Still, with no confirmed call between Trump and Xi, the uncertainty continues.
