President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States no longer needs to sign traditional trade deals, declaring that other countries will have to pay to access the American market. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office, Trump outlined a new approach to global trade.
.@POTUS: "Everyone says 'when are you gonna sign deals?' We don't have to sign deals. We could sign 25 deals right now if we wanted. We don't have to sign deals. They have to sign deals with us. They want a piece of our market. We don't want a piece of their market." pic.twitter.com/jQZBu2MPV9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 6, 2025
“We don’t have to sign deals,” Trump said. “They have to sign deals with us.” Trump said that over the coming weeks, the U.S. would set clear prices for doing business in the country. “Think of us as a super luxury store,” he said. “You come, you pay a price — a very good price.”
The president insisted the approach would be fair, friendly, and flexible. But he emphasized that the U.S. sets the terms now. “Our country is open for business,” he said. “They are going to pay for the privilege of shopping in the United States of America.”
