White House says reciprocal tariffs still intended to take effect from April 2

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - The Trump administration still intends for reciprocal tariffs to take effect on April 2, a White House official said, clarifying comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent which suggested countries could negotiate before the U.S. government begins collecting new import duties.

"The intent is to enact tariffs on April 2," the official said. "Unless the tariff and non-tariff barriers are equalized, or the U.S. has higher tariffs, the tariffs will go into effect."