U.S. President Donald Trump was spotted hanging out with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (he didn’t want to be in the picture) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. on May 6, 2025. The famous author of “The Art of the Deal,” President Donald Trump, dropped a bombshell comment on Tuesday, saying that the United States doesn’t really need to bother with “signing deals” with trade partners. This came as a surprise, especially after top White House officials had been going on and on about how important these deals were for weeks.
During a White House meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump grumbled, “Everyone keeps asking, ‘when are you going to sign deals?’ Well, guess what? We don’t have to sign deals, they’re the ones who have to sign deals with us. They’re the ones who want in on our market. We’re not interested in their market.” Trump’s frustration was evident as he expressed his views on the matter.
Despite the administration’s claims that many countries were eager to engage in bilateral trade talks with the United States, no formal agreements or frameworks had been announced yet. Trump seemed exasperated with the constant pressure from the public and the White House officials to show progress in trade talks. He sarcastically remarked, “I wish they’d stop pestering me with questions like, ‘how many deals are you signing this week?’ Trust me, one day we’ll surprise you with a hundred deals.”
In a surprising turn of events on Tuesday, Trump decided to de-emphasize the importance of trade deals, a stark contrast to what his Treasury Secretary had stated the day before. Scott Bessent had mentioned on “Money Movers” that the U.S. was “very close to some deals,” but Trump seemed to have a different perspective. Despite hinting at possible trade deals being rolled out soon, Trump seemed to be in no rush. He asserted his authority, stating, “At the end of the day, I’m the one setting the deal.”
During a NewsNation town hall last week, Trump had mentioned potential deals with India, South Korea, and Japan. He had even praised the progress of negotiations with India, claiming that a deal was likely in the works. However, on Tuesday, Trump seemed to shift the blame to his top aides for setting unrealistic expectations regarding trade deals. He expressed his frustration, saying, “I feel like my team hasn’t really made it clear. We will sign some deals, sure. But more importantly, we’re going to make sure that shopping in the United States becomes a luxury experience.”
Following Trump’s comments about trade deals, U.S. markets experienced a slight dip on Tuesday afternoon. Investors and business leaders were eagerly awaiting the announcement of bilateral agreements with major trading partners like Japan, South Korea, and India. The uncertainty surrounding the trade talks had left many in the business world anxious about the impact on the U.S. economy.
Despite the administration’s reassurances that deals were close to being finalized, specifics about these agreements were still lacking. The constant promises of imminent deals being announced within days had left many skeptical. Trump’s unconventional approach to trade negotiations had certainly kept everyone on their toes, wondering what would come next.
As the world awaited further developments in the U.S. trade policy, one thing was certain – with Trump at the helm, anything was possible. Whether the U.S. would indeed sign multiple trade deals as promised or take a different route altogether remained to be seen. The only certainty in this unpredictable political climate was the uncertainty that seemed to loom over the future of U.S. trade relations.
