Trump sorts out final US ‘Liberation Day’ tariff details as hours tick down before reveal

Just hours before Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day”, the US president was still working with his cabinet to finalise the details of what is expected to be the most significant overhaul of America’s trade policy in over three decades, while his press team signalled that he will be open to “good” negotiations.

“He is with his trade and tariff team right now, perfecting it to make sure this is a perfect deal for the American people and the American worker, and you will all find out in about 24 hours”, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, teasing what could be the start of a global trade war.

The specifics of the policy, described as “reciprocal tariffs”, remain scarce, with details about their size and scope apparently in flux ahead of Trump’s reveal, scheduled for 4pm on Wednesday in the White House Rose Garden.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and others, in consultation with White House Economic Adviser Peter Navarro – one of Washington’s staunchest China critics – were set to submit tariff implementation recommendations for each trading partner to Trump on Tuesday.

These reports, which also include overall trade relations assessments, are likely to play an important role in shaping the final plan.

Asked to comment on reports that the White House was still considering several different strategies, including an across-the-board levy of about 20 per cent tariff, Leavitt claimed that Trump had already made a decision on the tariffs and that she did not want to “get ahead of the president”.