Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs

President Donald Trump discusses trade agreement with the U.K.
The deal appears 'more symbolic than economic'
(Image credit: Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday announced what the White House called a "historic" and "great" trade deal. The limited bilateral agreement reduces or eliminates some of the tariffs Trump has imposed in his global trade war but keeps his 10% tax on most British imports.

Who said what

Trump's first deal since erecting steep trade barriers was announced in "grandiose terms" but with "limited details about what it will achieve," The Associated Press said. That reflects Trump's "haste" to "negotiate with more than a dozen nations and rework the global trading system in a matter of months," said The New York Times.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The deal appears "more symbolic than economic," said Beata Caranci, the chief economist at TD Economics, per The Washington Post. "What we have learned is that these initial announcements are going to be more fine-tuning around the edges and easing of pain points, rather than an end to the trade war."

What next?

Trump's team is meeting with Chinese negotiators in Switzerland this weekend. Thursday's "framework for a trade agreement" could give Trump's team "momentum as it faces pressure to notch scores more to avoid hurting American consumers," but the deal is "limited in scope" and focuses on "niche issues regarding the U.K.," The Wall Street Journal said. Britain was "low-hanging fruit," and "other deals weren't seen as likely to come together so easily."

Explore More
Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.