Trump’s trade deals vexed by cautious countries, legal challenges and haphazard strategy

Two weeks after President Donald Trump paused plans for steep tariffs with promises that a flurry of negotiated deals would ensue, the relative quiet has been deafening – roiling markets and calling into question the endgame for the administration’s trade war.

Two weeks after President Donald Trump paused plans for steep tariffs with promises that a flurry of negotiated deals would ensue, the relative quiet has been deafening – roiling markets and calling into question the endgame for the administration’s trade war. Since then, there’s been scant evidence of any progress with most of America’s trading partners and few signs of active negotiations with China, despite Trump saying otherwise. A signature pledge from the campaign trail, Trump’s trade war began abruptly and has since been managed haphazardly as the White House moves to deliver on the president’s desire to rebalance global trade by prioritizing US manufacturing. Trump’s frequent about-faces on tariffs have confused trading partners, the majority of which have not put forth written proposals to seek better terms. Some countries, sources told CNN, have been disincentivized by the chaos and have not made concrete offers to remove trade barriers, choosing instead to ride out the White House’s chaotic approach. On top of that, a litany of businesses are challenging the legality of Trump’s unilateral trade war. And sources familiar with the situation told CNN that the administration remains understaffed in key agencies at the forefront of any negotiations. “There’s a reason why Trump’s trade war didn’t start until the second year in his first term,” said one Trump adviser. “It takes time to get your team and strategy together.”