U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing top advisers to adopt a more assertive approach on tariffs as his administration gears up for a significant escalation in its global trade dispute, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing four sources familiar with the discussions.
Despite calls from allies on Wall Street and Capitol Hill to adopt a more measured approach, Trump has been pushing for sweeping trade actions aimed at reshaping the U.S. economy, the report said.
Trump has continued to tell his advisers that he wants to keep increasing trade measures, and in recent days, he has brought back the idea of a universal tariff that would apply to most imports, no matter which country they come from, according to the report.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has expressed regret over not implementing broader tariffs during his first term and has blamed advisers for persuading him to pull back, the Post said, adding it remains unclear how seriously the idea of a universal tariff is being considered.
The president has told advisers that tariffs are a win for the United States, bringing back manufacturing jobs and adding trillions in government revenue, according to the Post.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said that he was open to carving out deals with countries seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs but those agreements would have to be negotiated after his administration announces reciprocal levies on April 2.
The proposed tariffs are part of a broader strategy to address what Trump perceives as unfair trade practices and to rebalance trade relationships.
Dubbed “Liberation Day,” April 2 marks the planned enforcement of significant changes to U.S. trade policies, with steep tariffs imposed on the country’s primary trading partners.
These reciprocal tariffs are designed to match those imposed by other countries on the U.S., reflecting Trump’s agenda of immediate retribution against nations implementing higher tariffs or non-tariff trade barriers that adversely affect U.S. companies.
(With inputs from Reuters)
