Trump trade team chases 90 deals in 90 days. Experts say good luck with that

12/4/2025 17:42

President Donald Trump's administration wants to strike 90 trade deals in 90 days, but the challenges to quickly resolving the president's trade war are already apparent.



European Union trade chief Maros Sefcovic will on Monday be among the first foreign trade officials to come to Washington for urgent negotiations about the steep tariffs that Trump announced on April 2. The bloc is among the biggest U.S. trade partners with nearly $1 trillion in two-way trade last year.



But when Sefcovic arrives, Trump's top tariff negotiator, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, will be in Buenos Aires to show support for Argentina's economic reforms rather than in Washington, even though Argentina accounts for a mere $16.3 billion in total annual trade with the U.S.



Bessent's absence on Monday highlights doubts among trade experts about how effectively the administration can manage so many simultaneous negotiations and the overall prospects for reaching 90 deals in 90 days.