‘Going to be sending letters’: Trump pushes last-minute trade deals; confirms some already ‘made’

US President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke about the much-discussed upcoming trade deals between the United States and other countries, including India. He said that letters related to these trade agreements will start going out from Monday.“We are going to be sending letters out on Monday having to do with the trade deals… It could be as many as 15 or so. They will be going out on Monday and some will go out on Tuesday and Wednesday and we have made deals also. So, we are going to have a combination of letters and some deals have been made,” Trump said.Also read: ‘Ball now in US court’: India ‘draws its red lines’ as Donald Trump’s July 9 tariff deadline nears; here’s what’s happening on trade dealThese comments come just before the July 9 deadline, which marks the end of a 90-day suspension on Trump-era tariffs. After this date, a 26% additional import duty is expected to apply to goods from countries like India entering the US.Also read: Donald Trump tariff deadline: New US tariffs to take effect from August 1 if no deals struck, says Treasury Secretary Scott BessentThe Trump administration is increasing pressure on trade partners to quickly reach agreements before Wednesday. From Monday, the US plans to send official letters warning that higher tariffs could begin from August 1.Trump added, “We’ll have most countries done by July 9 — either a letter or a deal.”Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, standing beside Trump, told reporters, “The president is right in the midst of discussing all sorts of deals with all sorts of countries.” He confirmed that if agreements are not reached, the new tariffs will take effect on August 1.