Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday that Thailand and Cambodia reached trade agreements with the U.S. just days after the Southeast Asian countries agreed to a ceasefire to end the five days of deadly clashes along their border.
Monday’s pause in fighting came after President Trump directly pressured both nations, warning the U.S. might not proceed with trade talks if the military conflict continued.
In an interview Wednesday evening on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Lutnick praised Trump’s dealmaking approach, which the Commerce secretary said paid off particularly well with Cambodia and Thailand.
The Commerce secretary noted that Trump spent all day Saturday “calling Cambodia, Thailand, Cambodia, Thailand” to discuss the ceasefire, adding, “And what happens on Monday? They announce a truce.”
“And you know what we did today?” he continued. “We made trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand. I mean, how cool is Donald Trump?”
Lutnick did not elaborate on the deals in the interview and additional details were not immediately available.
Many foreign trading partners have raced to strike a deal with the U.S. to avoid steep tariffs set to go into effect on Aug. 1, after Trump’s 90-day pause on his April “Liberation Day” reciprocal import taxes and subsequent extension lapses.
The commerce chief also touted Trump’s overall strategy on tariffs.
“Donald Trump and his trade team have proven: The EU pays, Japan pays, Korea pays, Vietnam pays, the Philippines pay, they all — Indonesia pays,” Lutnick said. “And the list, by the way, we did, like, five deals.”
