What is the path to success, if you are female interlocutor of the head of the White House in the negotiations regarding new, higher US tariffs for goods from Your country? In other words: is there a “female recipe” for a That performance?
Based on the past experience and results of the “tariff contacts” of Claudia Sheinbum Pardo, President of Mexico, Karin Keller-Sutter, President of Switzerland, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (EC) with the US leader Donald Trump, the profile of a successful “recipe” seems to be becoming clearer..
Thus: The Meeting does not seem to be mandatory, but a patient tone of conversation, excellent thematic preparations, and the absence of unfulfillable promises seem necessary. In a distant analogy, almost like in “hostage negotiations”, when life is at stake.
“You minimize your ego… Listening to the interlocutor is key…”, Richard Mullender, globally—renowned hostage negotiation expert revealed in an interview ten years ago. Perhaps useful, in the arena of America’s global customs revolution, which is far from over.
“The Case of Mexico” acts as an exemplary case. Namely, after nine phone conversations with Donald Trump since his inauguration in January, regarding tariffs and other more or less related topics, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo managed to negotiate for Mexico on the eve of August 1, the continuation of tariff negotiations for another 90 days. ” I think he respects us, and we respect him for what we are: neighbours elected by our peoples” described Sheinbaum Pardo.
On the other hand, in the customs negotiations with Donald Trump, Karin Keller-Sutter ended up “like a thorn.” First of all, their first and successful phone conversation at the beginning of April lasted for 25 minutes. Soon after, Trump delayed implementation of his own global tariff threats for 90 days. “Perhaps the conversation with me was decisive”, Keller-Sutter assessed at the time. Their second phone conversation at the end of July was such, that an SMS was sent from Washington to Bern stop that “hello-hello” immediately, because otherwise, it won’t be nice. “She didn’t want to listen,” Trump later commented. “I firmly defended the interests of Switzerland,” Keller-Sutter insisted. Then she hurriedly travelled to Washington—after the US imposed a plus 39 percent tariff on Switzerland, only to return home “empty-handed.” Official Bern is now preparing “more attractive tariff offers” to Washington, but the question is whether Keller-Sutter will continue to lead those negotiations.
The third, Ursula von der Leyen’s “tariff negotiation recipe”, seems to be the least successful, for now. Namely, the day after von der Leyen announced to the US president on his private golf course in Scotland a total of 1.35 trillion EU investments in America, the EC issued a “clarification” on that matter. The promises made in Scotland are not in any way “legally binding”, the statement said. After that “said—denied”, joint statement about the outcome of the US and EU tariff negotiations, at the end of July in the hills of Scotland, has not yet been issued.
