Mr Sompop said once the 150-day period passes, the US is expected to revert to its original import tariff rate of no more than 2.5%. This trend would flip last year's trade activities, when US importers rushed to import goods to avoid reciprocal tariffs. While Trump lost his reciprocal tariff gambit, the greater victory lies in the US securing one-sided free trade agreements, with other countries reducing their import tariffs on US goods to zero or close to zero, noted Mr Sompop. Ordinarily such agreements take decades to achieve, but Trump accomplished the feat in less than one year. Last year, despite the higher tariff walls, the US recorded a trade deficit of US$1.24 trillion.

Source: Bangkok Post March 02, 2026 00:16 UTC