Trump’s Trade Panic: White House Begs Foreign Nations for Deals Courts May Strike Down

Trump White House Scrambles for Trade Deals as Courts Question Tariff Legality and Global Partners Hold the Line

In what’s beginning to look less like America First and more like America Desperate, the Trump administration is now frantically sending letters to foreign governments — pleading for trade proposals before its July 8 tariff hammer drops.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to spin the move as a “friendly reminder,” but let’s be honest: the Biden-to-Trump whiplash in foreign policy has left most global partners more confused than cooperative. Now, Trump's trade team is practically begging countries like Japan, India, and Vietnam to send in their “best and final offers” — even as U.S. courts warn these deals might not be legal.

The U.S. Court of International Trade already ruled that many of Trump’s tariffs are unlawful. Only a last-minute appeal is keeping them on life support — for now. That means these frantic negotiations could be totally moot. The deals might never go into effect. This is a government that’s lobbying the world for treaties it may not be allowed to enforce.

But Trump needs a “win.” So his team is trying to fast-track a stack of global handshake agreements before the July 8 self-imposed deadline — the same date the suspended “Liberation Day” tariffs are set to kick back in. Why the rush? Because without these deals, Trump’s tariffs look less like leverage and more like a self-inflicted economic bullet.

For a guy who made a career yelling about “bad deals,” Trump sure is eager to sign one — or a dozen — even if the courts toss them later. If this is The Art of the Deal, someone lost the last chapter.