The Trump administration announced four new trade deals that involve various countries across Latin America as the U.S. looks to strengthen ties in the region.
Officials told reporters during a call on Thursday afternoon that the U.S. will announce new trade deals with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador, CBS reporter Kathryn Watson revealed in a post on X.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai laid out further details about each deal in a lengthy thread on X, hailing the deals as part of a "historic day" in the president's America First trade agenda, revealing that all four countries have agreed to drop trade barriers against U.S. exports.
Why It Matters
Trump has focused on trade as a major piece of his second administration, using a mixture of trade deals and tariffs to try to leverage America's economic advantages to the onshore industry while also increasing revenue from exports.
Argentina and El Salvador's leaders have developed close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump: Argentinian President Javier Milei has remained a vocal supporter of his U.S. counterpart, even appearing at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and being the beneficiary of a roughly $40 billion bailout in October; and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has worked closely with the Trump administration on its deportation operations, taking in a significant number of deported migrants from the United States.
In four statements released Thursday evening, the U.S. stressed that each deal builds on existing ties and relationships, such as the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
The Argentina deal is the most comprehensive and clearly outlines the deals, with additional plans to confront state-owned enterprises and subsidies, and will look to import American-made vehicles, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.
Each deal is titled "A Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade," which aims to provide mutual access to each country's market and increased alignment of economic and national security priorities.
The main focus of each deal is to remove tariff barriers in Latin America, with a significant focus on U.S. access to agricultural products and digital trade.
Each deal also highlights a commitment from the Latin American nations to create "a robust standard for intellectual property protection and enforcement," including in some cases a commitment to take steps to "resolve long-standing intellectual property issues" that the U.S. trade representative identified.
The deals also seek a commitment to protect labor rights and strengthen labor laws, as well as adopt and maintain high levels of environmental protection.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Trade Representative wrote in a post on X: "President Trump’s leadership is helping forge a new age of partnership and prosperity across the Western Hemisphere, announcing Joint Statements with El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, and Guatemala for Frameworks for Agreements on Reciprocal Trade. These historic deals will lower longstanding trade barriers and unlock new markets for American workers and producers."
What Happens Next
The U.S. and each nation will work to finalize the deals over the coming weeks in anticipation of them entering into force, including the U.S. agreement to remove reciprocal tariffs on exports to the U.S. on "certain qualifying exports that cannot be grown, mined, or naturally produced in the United States in sufficient quantities."
Update 11/13/25, 6:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information, context, and comment.
Again via Newsweek.
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