Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid it out plainly on CNN: if our trading partners don't show real progress by August 1, those tariffs we pulled back in April will automatically snap back into place—no new deadline, just “this is when it happens,”
he said. He even hinted we might hear some big announcements in the next couple days, but wouldn't spoil the surprise.
Meanwhile, Trump's busy signing a dozen “tariff letters” to be sent out starting July 7—think of them as “move-it-or-lose-it” warnings.
He's aiming to have most either paired with a deal or in the mail by July 9. “They'll start to pay on August 1,” he told reporters, meaning U.S. coffers could see that extra cash flow almost immediately.
Bottom line: exporters and importers face a simple choice—seal the deal or brace for that April-level rate hike. Either way, supply chains and prices might get a little bumpier before this is over.
