Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday the U.S. is “very close” to securing trade deals with India and other major Asian partners. The news comes as global markets continue to react to tariff shifts announced by the Trump administration. Bessent’s remarks aim to ease investor nerves while underscoring ongoing trade progress.
Speaking at a Tuesday press briefing with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Bessent praised President Trump’s economic record during his first 100 days back in office. He also pushed back on criticism of the administration’s tariff strategy. “Vice President Vance was in India last week. I think that he and [Prime Minister] Modi made some very good progress,” Bessent said.
“I could see some announcements on India. I could see the contours of a deal with the Republic of Korea coming together, and then we've had substantial talks with the Japanese,” he added. “I think that we are very close on India,” he reiterated, signaling that trade resolutions may be imminent.
Bessent said these agreements will reduce the “aperture of uncertainty” rattling global markets. However, he noted that unpredictability can be a useful tool during high-stakes negotiations. “Certainty isn’t necessarily a good thing during a negotiation,” he said.
This was the second Trump administration briefing in a week focused on its 100-day milestones. On Monday, Leavitt and Border Czar Tom Homan also addressed reporters to highlight immigration enforcement efforts. The pair said the ongoing Operation Tidal Wave marks the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
Leavitt warned that the scale of the operation is just the beginning. She said it reflects what Americans can expect from the administration’s future border enforcement. “It is a sign of things to come,” she told reporters.
Homan sharply criticized President Biden’s immigration record. He accused Biden of deliberately unsecuring the southern border upon taking office. “Even President Obama and President Clinton addressed border security to some extent,” Homan said. “But Biden is the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured the border on purpose.”
He touted major reductions in illegal crossings as proof Trump’s policies are working. “When 96% less people are coming [across the border], how many women aren't being sexually assaulted by the cartels?” Homan asked. “How many children aren't dying making that journey? How many women and children aren't being sex-trafficked into this country? How many known and suspected terrorists aren't making it into this nation? How many pounds of fentanyl isn't getting into this country to kill young Americans?”