'Almost 70 countries' have approached US on tariffs: Treasury secretary
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business there have been "50, 60, maybe almost 70, countries now who have approached" the U.S. about the tariffs.
"As I advised on many shows on April 2, I suggested that the foreign officials keep your cool," he said. "Do not escalate and come to us with your offers on how you're going to drop tariffs, how you're going to drop non-tariff barriers, how you're going to stop your currency manipulation, how you're going to stop the subsidized financing. And at a point President Trump will be ready to negotiate."
Bessent weighed in on talks with Japan, saying that after the president's call with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba earlier Monday, Trump asked Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to take the lead on negotiations.
"Japan is a very important military ally. They're a very important economic ally, and the U.S. has a lot of history with them. So I would expect that Japan is going to get priority just because they came forward very quickly," Bessent said. "But it's going to be very busy, and President Trump, again, gave himself maximum negotiating leverage, and just when he achieved the maximum leverage, he's willing to start talking."
Pressed on if he believed a deal could be struck with Japan in the next week or two to help the markets, Bessent didn't answer directly, only suggesting that "negotiations are going to be tough."
-ABC News' Molly Nagle







