White House economist Kevin Hassett says “it is possible” President Trump will scrap a threatened 5% tariff on Mexican goods following significant progress in negotiations.
“I am not the secretary of state, but I have been updated on what is going on. There has been a lot of progress in the talks,” Hassett told reporters Friday on the White House driveway.
“My understanding is the minute the president [returns from Europe] he is going to be presented with the material progress and then he is going to put everything on the table and make a decision,” he added.
Trump returns Friday afternoon from a trip to the U.K., France, and Ireland. Last Thursday, he said a 5% tariff would hit all Mexican goods June 10, unless illegal immigration is reduced.
Mexico dispatched a team of negotiators to Washington this week. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the group. The Trump administration is pushing for Mexico to absorb Central American asylum-seekers.
“Whether they have done enough to satisfy the president … is something we will find out,” Hassett told reporters.
“The talks have been very collegial, amicable, and my briefing has been [that] there has been a lot of progress where our technical experts have done a dive into what the Mexicans can do to get out in front of the border problem,” he said.
Hassett said he wasn’t aware of whether Trump would make a decision Friday or over the weekend, but that “over the weekend is what I was told.”
The Trump adviser said the administration remains committed to pushing the pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement through Congress, where Democrats have expressed reservations.
In April, Trump abandoned a threat to close the Mexican border, including to trade, after saying he believed Mexican officials were doing more to disrupt migrant caravans.
