Ninety trade deals in 90 days didn't happen early in President Donald Trump's second term. “Liberation Day” panicked the financial markets in April. And bespoke trade agreements with dozens of countries, he has said, takes too much time. “There’s 200 countries,’’ the president acknowledged. “You can’t talk to all of them.’’
So Trump repackaged his plan to slap tariffs on almost every nation in a series of unusual presidential letters to foreign leaders that set new thresholds not just for trade negotiations — but also for diplomatic style, tone and delivery. Most are fill-in-the-blank form letters that include leaders' names and a tariff rate. Words are capitalized using Trump's distinct social media style. A few typos and formatting issues appear throughout.
