Trump on Wednesday imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from allies and rivals alike, prompting the European Union to threaten the US with countermeasures unless a solution is found.
The penalties unleashed turbulence across world markets and drew condemnation from other leaders facing the end of an era of trade liberalisation that has shaped the global order for decades.
Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners, hammering goods from premium Italian coffee and Japanese whisky to sportswear made in Asia.
Lutnick told CNBC television a day after Trump announced a global baseline tariff and steep reciprocal duties that the discussions had been going on for more than a month.
"The key is, will they take our agricultural products? Will they treat us fairly? Can they treat us fairly? And the answer is, over time, that is going to be yes," Lutnick told CNBC television.
"American products are going to be better sold elsewhere in the world."
Lutnick said that he did not believe that countries would be able to win exemptions from the tariffs, and it will not be "effective for the world to retaliate" against the US but the Trump administration would engage in discussions to find ways to treat US goods more fairly.
This includes ways to eliminate trade barriers such as those posed by value-added tax, which Lutnick said acted as subsidies for exports.
Lutnick added that at least one trade minister offered to allow US vehicles to access similar subsidies, without identifying the country.
"I expect most countries to start to really examine their trade policy towards the United States of America, and stop picking on us," Lutnick said.
"Stop saying that we can't sell our corn to India. Stop saying that we can't sell our beef anywhere."
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that he viewed the tariffs announcement as the start of negotiations, in which the Nordic country aims to ultimately get as low tariffs as possible.
"Yesterday's announcement is probably more damaging than many expected," Kristersson told reporters at a press conference.
Trump said the "reciprocal" tariffs were a response to duties and other non-tariff barriers put on US goods.
He argued that the new levies will boost manufacturing jobs at home.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said he knows many in the US are worried about costs in the face of what he noted was "a big change" with tariffs, and cautioned that it would take time to see lower prices or more US jobs and manufacturing.
"We know a lot of Americans are worried," he told Fox News.
"What I'd ask folks to appreciate here is that we are not going to fix things overnight."
Trump said he believes the United States is on the right track following the announcement of his tariffs.
"THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING," he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
with DPA
