Donald Trump’s Trade Blitz: 90 Deals in 90 Days? Experts Say It’s a Fantasy

The Trump administration is aiming to conclude 90 trade agreements in 90 days following the announcement of sweeping new tariffs earlier this month, but trade experts are raising serious doubts about whether such an ambitious effort is logistically or diplomatically feasible.

President Donald Trump paused the implementation of many of his proposed tariffs on April 2, offering a 90-day window for bilateral deals to be negotiated. The decision came amid sharp market volatility, rising inflation fears, and warnings of a potential recession.

Top administration officials say the goal is achievable. “We’re going to run 90 deals in 90 days. It’s possible,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said in an interview with Fox Business . “The boss is going to be the chief negotiator. Nothing is done without him.”

But with only a fraction of key trade positions filled and multiple international commitments already on the calendar, critics question the administration’s capacity to handle simultaneous talks with dozens of countries.

European Union trade chief Maros Sefcovic is expected in Washington on Monday for urgent discussions, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — Trump’s lead negotiator — will be in Buenos Aires to support Argentina’s economic reforms, despite the South American nation accounting for just $16.3 billion in U.S. trade.

Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. Trade Representative official now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the administration faces significant structural and procedural hurdles. “There’s no way during this timeframe we’re doing a comprehensive agreement with any of these countries,” she said. “Teeing up these decisions is going to take serious negotiations.”

Markets have been closely watching the administration’s moves. U.S. Treasury yields spiked and the dollar declined following the tariff announcement. Meanwhile, gold prices surged to a record high, signaling investor concern. Wall Street rebounded late in the week, but analysts say the administration must deliver tangible results to stabilize sentiment.

Cutler and other experts suggest the administration may have to narrow its focus to a few strategic countries and consider extending the 90-day timeline. Even minor trade agreements typically take months to finalize. The revised U.S.-South Korea trade deal, for instance, took more than eight months, while the broader U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) required over two years.

With Reuters Inputs

Compounding the challenge is a shortage of Senate-confirmed personnel. Aside from Bessent and Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender, the Treasury Department remains thinly staffed. Several top roles at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) are also vacant, and much of the negotiation burden is falling to career officials.

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“There’s no coordinated set of talking points or unified message,” said one diplomat involved in early discussions. “It’s more like preliminary conversations than structured negotiations.”

Countries like the UK and Australia have been in informal talks with the administration since Trump took office in January, but few concrete outcomes have emerged.

Meanwhile, China — excluded from the tariff pause — has responded with its own set of countermeasures, escalating tensions further.