Trump Reiterates Benchmark Tariff at 10%, Does Not Rule Out Individual Exemptions

According to a report by Jinse Finance, U.S. President Trump stated on Friday that he would "always" impose at least a 10% tariff on trade partners, but quickly added that "exceptions are not ruled out," highlighting the current unclear stance of the U.S. in several trade negotiations. "You always have a baseline," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Of course, there may be exceptions. Sometimes, certain countries do something special for us, and that's a different matter. But basically, the minimum baseline is 10%, and some tariffs will be much higher than this level." After the U.S.-UK framework agreement was announced on Thursday, the U.S. maintained a baseline tariff rate of 10% on British goods. In response, government officials insisted that Trump would continue to set at least a 10% tariff on all imported goods to address the trade deficit and promote U.S. manufacturing development. White House Press Secretary Levitt also stated earlier that day, "The President is determined to continue implementing this 10% tariff baseline. I just spoke with him."