Amid mounting pressure over the United States’ imposition of sweeping tariffs, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake wrote to Donald Trump this week, as the US president bragged of how world leaders were “kissing my a**” in appeals to reduce the levies.
Speaking in Parliament earlier today, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha Fernando confirmed that Dissanayake had personally written to US President Donald Trump to appeal for a rollback of the tariffs and to seek a path forward. “The President highlighted the possible ways of mitigating these things, the actions we can take, and a request for collaboration to reduce these tariffs,” he said. An acknowledgement of the letter has reportedly been received from the White House.
“Diplomatic relations and continuous dialogue with the White House and the US Trade Representative’s Office are taking place continuously,” added the Deputy Minister.
Meanwhile, during a 90-minute speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual fundraising dinner in Washington, Trump mocked world leaders for scrambling to cut deals with him to avoid economic fallout.
“These countries are calling us up, kissing my a**,” Trump said. “They are dying to make a deal.”
He went on to ridicule their diplomatic overtures, adopting a mocking tone: “Please, Sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything, Sir.”
Sri Lanka, already reeling from economic shocks in recent years, now faces renewed uncertainty as major export sectors brace for a steep decline in US-bound trade. Apparel and manufacturing industries, heavily dependent on the US market, have warned of job losses and production cuts if tariffs are not reversed.
Dissanayake is also set to convene an all-party meeting tomorrow to discuss the economic fallout and outline a national response.
The emergency meeting, announced by Leader of the House and Cabinet Minister Bimal Rathnayake, will take place at the Presidential Secretariat on 10 April. “The discussion will focus on the impact of unusual US tariffs on our exports,” said Rathnayake in a statement. “Today morning, 12 opposition party leaders requested to meet the president to discuss the issue.”
The development follows the implementation of a 44% tariff on Sri Lankan goods by the Donald Trump-led US government, under a sweeping new trade policy that came into force on 9 April 2025. The US administration claims the measure is a “reciprocal” response to Sri Lanka’s alleged 88% trade barriers on American products. The new duties place Sri Lanka among the countries facing some of the highest tariff rates in the world.
The all-party meeting tomorrow is expected to include discussions on diplomatic strategy, economic contingency planning, and the formation of a unified national front to address the escalating crisis.
