Doocy Hits Leavitt With Tough Question Point-Blank
Fox News’ Peter Doocy Hits Karoline Leavitt With Tough Question Point-Blank
The White House revealed Monday that President Donald Trump’s administration has received eighteen written trade proposals from foreign nations, marking significant progress in the president’s aggressive trade strategy.
The disclosure came during a press briefing where Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed pointed questions about the status of these negotiations and why specific details remain undisclosed to the American public.
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed Leavitt on why details about these proposals remain confidential, asking directly, “You guys have at least 18 written trade proposals. We still don’t know who they are from or what they contain. What is the hold up with that?”
Leavitt firmly rejected the notion of any delay in the process, stating, “There is no hold up. We’re working around the clock.”
She emphasized the administration’s total commitment to finalizing these trade agreements, noting that the entire trade team is working “24/7” to secure deals that would be advantageous to American workers and businesses.
The press secretary indicated that President Trump himself would likely provide substantive updates on these negotiations later this week, explaining that she didn’t want to “get ahead of the president in announcing potential deals.”
These developments follow Trump’s strategic April 9 announcement on Truth Social implementing a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for all countries except China, creating a defined window for negotiations.
This pause was specifically designed to allow foreign nations time to submit proposals that would satisfy the administration’s requirements for “fair” trade practices.
The administration has indicated that negotiations with South Korea are progressing particularly well and may serve as a model for other agreements.
During a Thursday statement, both President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that talks with South Korea have advanced “faster” than initially expected, potentially signaling that an agreement with this key Asian ally could be announced soon.
Regarding China, President Trump stated on April 22 that he intends to “substantially” lower the exceptionally high tariffs currently placed on Chinese goods, though this statement has been met with contradiction from Chinese officials.
Chinese representatives have publicly disputed claims that they are engaged in any negotiation talks with the United States, creating uncertainty around the potential for reduced tariffs between the two economic powers.
Clarifying the administration’s position, Press Secretary Leavitt stated during a Wednesday Fox News appearance that there would be “no unilateral reduction in tariffs” on China, indicating that any tariff reductions would require direct negotiations and concessions from the Chinese government.
CNBC reported that Treasury Secretary Bessent has confirmed that there will be a “de-escalation” in the trade conflict with China, suggesting some form of agreement may be forthcoming despite the contradictory statements from both sides.
The current trade tensions with China escalated significantly after Trump’s initial tariff announcement on April 2, which prompted retaliatory measures from China in what many observers characterized as the beginning of a full-scale trade war.
The subsequent trade war has resulted in some Chinese goods facing tariffs of up to 245 percent, according to White House statements from April 15.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been actively involved in these trade negotiations, with Leavitt mentioning recent phone conversations with both Lutnick and Bessent over the weekend.
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