The director of the National Economic Council of the White House, Kevin Hasett, said Sunday that President Donald Trump talks about Chinese President Xi Jinping this week on rates.
“President Trump, we hope, will have a wonderful conversation about commercial negotiations this week with President XI. That is our expectation,” Hassett told the presenter George Stephanopoulos in “This Week” of ABC News on Sunday.
Currently, China has a 30% rate level for goods that reach the United States, which is reduced from 145% of Trump raised. There was a 90 -day respite from the 145% tariffs with the intention that the two countries negotiated a broader commercial agreement.
Hasset said he was not sure of the exact date that the two leaders would plan to speak with each other.
The director of the National Economic Council of the White House, Kevin Hassett, appears in “This Week” of ABC News on June 1, 2025.
ABC News
“I’m not sure, George, because you never know in international relations, but my expectation is that both parties have expressed their willingness to speak. And I would also like to add that people are talking every day, so [U.S. Trade Representative] Jamieson Greer, his team and President XI’s team in China, are talking every day trying to move the ball on this matter. “
Trump tariffs have faced a series of judicial challenges. A Court of Appeals restored Trump’s rates this week after a court order on Wednesday blocked them. The decision of the Court of Appeals represents the moment.
The block in tariffs occurred after the International Trade Court decided that the evocation of the administration of the International Law of Emergency Economic Powers does not give the President the right to establish “unlimited” tariffs. The Trump administration argued that the court order can damage its progress in negotiations.
Here are more outstanding aspects of Hasset’s interview:
Hassett about legal challenges for tariffs
Stephanopoulos: Do you trust that the Supreme Court will maintain these rates? What happens if they don’t?
Hassett: Good. Well, one of the things we have been doing until 2017, when I used to talk to you in the program last time, George, is that we have studied all possible ways in which the tariff agenda of President Trump could be carried out. And Jamieson Greer, the best commercial lawyer in the business, went down and said that the search for Iepa we are chasing is the fastest, and it is the way it is the most legal.
And then we are very excited. We are very sure that the judges will maintain this law. And then I think that is Plan A. And we are very, very sure that Plan A is everything we will need. But if, for some reason, some judge said that it is not a national emergency when more Americans die from Fentanil that having died in all combined American wars, that is not an emergency on which the president has authority on which he has authority, if that ridiculous statement is made by a judge somewhere, then we will have other alternatives that we can also follow to ensure that we make the United States again.
In possible offers this week
Stephanopoulos: Where are we exactly? When will we see a real agreement? Will we see any this week?
Hassett: I hoped we would probably see one maybe as soon as last week. And I think that one of the things that happened is that the commercial team has focused 100 percent as a laser beam in the Chinese issue, to make sure there are no supply interruptions because these licenses are arriving a little more slow than we would like. And so, we have been focused as a laser beam last week, and the presidents, we hope, will discuss the matter this week. Once that has been resolved, we will take deals in the oval that Jamieson Greer and Howard Lutnick have negotiated.
Hassett in ‘Great and beautiful Trump’ invoice ‘
Stephanopoulos: Facing numerous challenges for the bill in the Senate at this time, both on the right and the left, is the president’s deadline for?
Hassett: The deadlines are deadlines, right? So, the only thing I could say is that we are 100 percent sure that this bill will be approved because in the end, senators who are concerned about the bill understand that the economy will put in recession and vote for the greatest fiscal increase in history if you vote against the bill.
