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Trump, Abe fail to reach deal on exemption

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla.

President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday they had failed to reach a deal that would exempt Japan from new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs.

Instead, the leaders announced they had agreed to start talks on a new “free, fair and reciprocal” trade agreement between the two countries after two days of talks.

“If we can come to an arrangement on a new deal, that would certainly be something we would discuss,” Trump said when asked about the tariffs during a joint press conference at his private Mar-a-Lago club.

But he said the current trade deficit between the two countries was too high to merit an exemption now.