Trump Signals U.S. Is Nearing Trade Deals but Says Some Countries Will Face Tariffs

President Trump suggested on Friday that the United States was close to reaching trade deals with multiple countries but held out the prospect of reimposing high tariffs on some trading partners, introducing fresh uncertainty into his trade talks.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, had suggested earlier in the day that the administration might give countries more time to negotiate beyond a quickly approaching deadline for tariffs to snap back into effect on July 8. In an interview on Friday, Mr. Bessent said that negotiations with trading partners could be “wrapped up by Labor Day,” adding that “nothing gets done in Washington well in advance.”

But at a news conference on Friday, the president seemed inclined to keep everyone guessing. Asked whether he would reimpose tariffs on July 8, he responded, “We can do whatever we want.”

“We could extend it. We could make it shorter,” Mr. Trump said. “I’d like to make it shorter. I’d like to just send letters out to everybody, ‘Congratulations, you’re paying 25 percent.’”

Mr. Trump also said that the United States was in the “process” of making deals with some countries, but that other countries would receive a letter stating the tariffs their exports now face.

“We’re just going to tell them what they have to pay,” he said.

Mr. Trump quickly followed up his remarks with a social media post threatening tariffs against Canada, which is set to begin collecting taxes charged on American tech companies on Monday.