The steps come as the disarray surrounding prior tariff rollouts has inflicted political damage on the White House and left some of the duties open to legal challenges. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg News)
President Donald Trump’s top trade negotiator is attempting to inject order into sweeping new tariffs expected next month, after previous announcements roiled markets and fueled business uncertainty.
Through the past two months of tariff chaos — marked by false starts, confusion and presidential threats followed by quick reversals — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has largely been out of the picture. He was confirmed to his role in late February, creating a void filled by White House adviser Peter Navarro and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to handle messaging.
Greer — a cool-headed, legal-minded acolyte of Trump’s first-term trade adviser Robert Lighthizer — is seeking to wrestle control of a planned April 2 announcement on a litany of new duties, according to people familiar with the deliberations, who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations.
Trump has dubbed that day “the big one,” with his administration set to impose import taxes on trading partners based on levies and other restrictions they place on U.S. goods. Tariffs on autos, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals are also planned. It’s unclear exactly how soon after the announcement all of the duties will take effect.
Trump reiterated his desire for April 2 to mark a wave of new tariffs late Sunday, telling reporters that it will be “a liberating day for our country.” Trump said “in certain cases both” reciprocal and sectoral tariffs will be applied.
Under Greer, USTR has reinstated parts of a traditional policy process that were missing from prior tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico, China and metals by asking for public comment on the reciprocal duties. That gives the trade office a formal way to receive feedback from businesses and other stakeholders.
Greer plans to take those requests into account when setting up the tariff program, according to people familiar with the deliberations.
Greer was confirmed as U.S. trade representative in February. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The steps come as the disarray surrounding prior tariff rollouts has inflicted political damage on the White House and left some of the duties open to legal challenges. Some 54% of registered voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to an NBC News poll released March 16.
Trade lawyers believe it’s risky for Trump to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act backing the North American and China tariffs, which he tied to drug trafficking and migration, as the legal basis for the reciprocal levies. If he does so, the duties could face lawsuits because they don’t fit squarely in the law’s description of a national emergency. Trump has said the reciprocal levies are intended to rebalance the U.S.’s trade deficits with other nations.
The Trump team is aware of those dynamics and has been assessing the risks and benefits as they develop a strategy for April 2, according to people familiar with the discussions.
One key advantage: the IEEPA is the quickest way to impose tariffs without input from industries or Congress. Trump could use the law to speed implementation of the tariffs, according to one person.
The president participated in a meeting on March 14 to discuss options on his tariff plans, according to people familiar with the gathering.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for USTR declined to comment.
Tariff Talks
Discussions are ongoing about what exactly Trump and his team will announce early next month and final decisions have not been made. Developing levies on hundreds of countries designed to match their tariffs and other trade barriers, including wages and tax regimes, on U.S. exports is a complex endeavor unprecedented in modern American history. Lutnick said earlier this month on Bloomberg Television that some duties can be announced right away and others could come weeks or months later.
One likely outcome is for USTR to create a formula for a single rate for each country based on that nation’s average tariff level and other measures the Trump team considers discriminatory, according to people familiar with the plans. The rates, though, could be adjusted based on Trump’s perception of whether a country has been cooperative or combative, one of the people said.
There’s also a chance some of the duties don’t take effect in early April, and would only come after a USTR or Commerce Department probe that could drag on for several months, the people said.
The discussions are fluid and the strategy could shift over the coming weeks. Some officials and outside advisers see April 2 as a deadline to reset on trade that will refocus the team’s energy on bigger challenges, like China.
Trump is undeterred and said he would not back down from his plans, despite market shocks that have caused uneasiness among his team. Trump has announced new tariffs on social media and during impromptu White House news conferences, only to change his plans later with carveouts often previewed on television by Lutnick.
Amid the tumult, Trump’s advisers have fought behind the scenes for their priorities.
Even as the president’s team publicly championed the tariffs, some advisers — including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett — have expressed an urgency to move on to tax cuts and regulation rollbacks that investors crave. Other White House advisers have advocated for lower tariffs on Mexico due to its cooperation on stemming illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking at the U.S. southern border, according to people familiar with the matter.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has recently become much more involved in listening to the concerns of the business community on tariffs, the people said. Trump’s team is not yet worried about the repercussions from tariffs, though Wiles inserting herself more directly into conversations shows she is attuned to the potential risks, according to Trump allies.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have largely gone along with Trump’s trade agenda with minimal pushback, just as they acquiesced on most of his Cabinet picks. Yet some are weighing in privately with Trump’s team and enlisting business leaders to call the White House, the people said.
“You had people in the first Trump White House who fundamentally disagreed with his trade policy. This time you have aides who disagree with the implementation,” said Marc Short, Trump’s former White House legislative director.
The power struggles hearken back to Trump’s first term, when disagreements over his trade agenda often led to leaks in the press and even spilled into the public. One shouting match involving Navarro and then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin occurred in front of a Chinese delegation.
