Trump tariffs live updates: Trump says US and China are discussing a deal

Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, says there are now more than 15 trade deals on the table and that they include "big steps forward" in terms of what the countries are willing to do.

But Hassett repeatedly declined to clarify where talks with China stand and whether President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump have actually spoken. On Thursday, Trump said American and Chinese teams are in discussion for a deal on tariffs.

"Have President Trump and President Xi Jinping spoken?" ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang asked Hassett.

"I don't have anything to add on that right now," Hassett said.

Wang also asked if China had reached out, to which Hassett reiterated he didn't have "anything to add."

President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni released a joint statement on Friday morning following their meeting on Thursday in Washington. In the statement, the two leaders "confirmed their resolve to promote a mutually beneficial relationship and further strengthen the U.S.-Italy strategic alliance across security, economic, and technological issues."

They also said Trump accepted Meloni's invitation for a visit to Italy "in the very near future" and possibly to hold a meeting then between U.S. and European leaders.

United States businesses, importers, retailers and farmers are breathing a sigh of relief as President Donald Trump's administration announced a phased-in implementation of port fees on "Chinese" vessels, starting with $0 for the first 180 days, rather than the previously announced $1 million to $1.5 million per port of call.

The fees, which initially had the potential to be cumulative, or more than $3 million for the affected ships for vessels that are made in China — or operated or owned by a company with any Chinese vessels in its fleet or on order — had drawn unprecedented outcry from the people and companies whom it would affect, since they are already facing increased costs because of tariffs.

Had the fees been issued starting Thursday, as was initially expected, experts predicted that most ships would skip smaller ports for larger ones, creating supply chain and labor issues.

“Currently, ships visit an average of three to four U.S. ports, both large and small, to move American cargo,” Nate Herman, senior vice president of policy for American Apparel & Footwear Association testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in March. "The United States has more than 300 ports — but only 10 major ports."

"If the proposed fees are implemented in every port call, shippers will likely reduce their port visits to just one U.S. port to minimize costs. As a result, calls to secondary ports would largely cease. These secondary ports would face a significant decline in business, leading to potential closures and significant job losses for American longshoremen," Herman told the USTR.

-ABC News' Soo Youn

Trump revealed for the first time that U.S. and Chinese teams are discussing a deal on tariffs and that he thinks a deal could be achieved in the next three to four weeks.

Pressed by ABC News' Rachel Scott and other reporters, Trump would not say whether he had spoken directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Asked by Scott if Xi had reached out to Trump to initiate a conversation, Trump replied, “Well, you think it was pretty obvious that he has, but we will talk about that soon. It's not that important because honestly, we're going to have a deal. I believe we're going to have a deal with China,” Trump said. “And if we don't, we're going to have a deal anyway because we're going to set a certain target and that's going to be it.”

Asked whether the Chinese have reached out since Trump raised the retaliatory tariff against China to the 145%, Trump said, "A lot, I mean, a lot. All the time, we’re talking."

When asked whether he'd spoken to his Chinese counterpart, Trump said: "I don't want to say that. It's---it's just not appropriate."

But when pressed, he obfuscated when asked whether he'd actually spoken to his counterpart.

"I mean, I've never said whether or not they’ve happened, but I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and I think it's going to continue. And, I would say they have reached out a number of times," Trump said.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Fritz Farrow and Michelle Stoddart