Is the "tariff deadline" gone in July? The U.S. Treasury Secretary hinted it may be extended to September 1, and Trump said it "can be extended or shortened."

Recent statements from U.S. President Trump and his government officials suggest that July 9 may no longer be the "tariff deadline." U.S. stocks further rose during trading, with two major U.S. stock indices reaching all-time highs.

CCTV News pointed out that July 9 is the deadline for the U.S. government to suspend the imposition of so-called "reciprocal tariffs" for 90 days. On June 27, U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin told the media that the Trump administration's trade agreement agenda might be completed before the U.S. Labor Day holiday, stating, "I believe we can finish before Labor Day."

U.S. law designates the first Monday in September as Labor Day, which falls on September 1 this year. Therefore, Mnuchin's remarks imply that negotiations with some trade partners may extend beyond the July 9 deadline, potentially prolonging the negotiation period by nearly two months.

In addition to mentioning Labor Day as a possible completion point for negotiations, Mnuchin reiterated that the U.S. has 18 important trade partners, stating that the U.S. is focused on reaching agreements with major trade partners. He noted that the U.S. has completed an agreement with the UK and reached consensus with China, meaning these two partners no longer need to be considered among the aforementioned trade partners.

Like U.S. Commerce Secretary Ross, Mnuchin also hinted that the Trump administration is close to reaching agreements with multiple trade partners.

Mnuchin stated, "Some countries are reaching out to us and proposing very good agreements," without disclosing which countries. He emphasized comments made by Ross on Thursday evening, who mentioned that the White House plans to finalize agreements with ten major trade partners before July 9. Mnuchin also referred to the ten but did not specify which trade partners would be included. He said:

"Therefore, if we can sign agreements with 10 or 12 of the 18 important trade partners—along with another 20 important trade partners—then I believe we can complete the trade (agreement) before Labor Day."

According to Xinhua News Agency, Trump announced the imposition of so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, triggering a sharp decline in U.S. financial markets. Under pressure from various parties, Trump announced on April 9 that the imposition of high "reciprocal tariffs" on some trade partners would be suspended for 90 days, while maintaining a 10% "baseline tariff," simultaneously threatening U.S. trade partners to complete negotiations with the U.S. by July 8.

At the end of trading, some media reported that Trump stated at the White House that he might not adhere to the July 9 deadline for the suspension of reciprocal tariffs. When asked if his deadline was set, Trump replied:

"No, we do as we please. We can extend the deadline or shorten it."

During Mnuchin's remarks, the U.S. stock market maintained its upward momentum in the morning session. Towards the end of the morning session, both the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq had risen over 0.7%. During the afternoon session, after Trump announced the suspension of U.S.-Canada trade negotiations, both the S&P and Nasdaq briefly turned negative, but by the end of trading, both had turned positive, ultimately setting new closing records, surpassing their respective highs from February and December of last year.

The White House "leaks" on Thursday: Bessent stated two weeks ago that the tariff deadline may be postponed

The day before Bessent and Trump spoke, the White House had already "leaked" signs that the July 9 deadline might be relaxed.

White House Press Secretary Levitt stated this Thursday,

"The July 9 deadline is not important."

She then said, "If these (negotiating) countries refuse to reach an agreement with us before the deadline, (President) Trump can offer them an agreement," which means setting "a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is beneficial to the United States."

When asked whether the deadline should be postponed, Levitt responded:

"Perhaps the negotiation period can be extended, but it depends on the President's decision."

On the same Thursday, Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Stephen Miran stated that he expects the Trump administration to extend the negotiation period for trade partners who are negotiating in good faith, effectively postponing the July 9 deadline.

Miran said, "My expectation is that for those countries that are negotiating in good faith and making progress, it is reasonable to postpone the deadline. I mean, you wouldn't drop a tariff bomb and destroy an ongoing agreement that is making real, good-faith, sincere progress."

In fact, more than two weeks ago at a House hearing, Bessent had already stated that for trade partners negotiating in good faith, the Trump administration is likely to postpone the implementation of reciprocal tariffs. At that time he said:

"For those countries negotiating in good faith—such as trade groups like the EU—we are very likely to extend the deadline to continue good-faith negotiations. But if someone is not negotiating, then we will not extend."

Bessent's statement is the first public acknowledgment by the Trump administration that there is flexibility in the tariff timeline