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Switzerland’s president and its economy minister are heading to Washington to propose “a more appealing offer” to the U.S. administration, in a last-minute effort to decrease one of the highest tariffs imposed in Donald Trump’s trade conflict.

The Swiss authorities announced on Tuesday that President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economy Minister Guy Parmelin are making the journey to “offer a more attractive proposal to the United States, aiming to lower the reciprocal tariffs affecting Swiss exports.”

It added that their offer would take “US concerns into account”.

Bern was blindsided last week when Trump slapped a 39 per cent tariff rate on the country, citing the US’s “huge” deficit with Switzerland.

The new rate is higher than the 31 per cent announced by the US president on “liberation day” in April, and is set to come into force on August 7.

Keller-Sutter, who has dismissed media reports suggesting her conversation with Trump last Thursday led to the increased tariff rate, was aiming for a duty closer to 10 percent during extensive negotiations with Washington.

On Monday, a special cabinet session was held where greater involvement of Parmelin’s office in discussions with the White House was deliberated, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

“It makes sense for this department to be involved,” one of the people said. 

Parmelin, who is also the country’s vice-president, is part of the rightwing Swiss People’s party. Keller-Sutter is from the centrist Liberal party.

Parmelin has been outspoken following the U.S. enforcement of the 39 percent tariff, expressing a willingness to adjust Switzerland’s proposal to the U.S. over the weekend.

He proposed increasing Swiss investment in America, including in US LNG imports, as part of a possible trade concession package. 

The team traveling to Washington will also feature Helene Budliger Artieda, the state secretary for economic affairs, along with Daniela Stoffel, the state secretary for international finance.

Keller‑Sutter has voiced regret over her government’s failure to reach a settlement with the US last week.

The country held multiple rounds of talks with Trump’s trade representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and Bern had believed that a provisional deal of closer to 10 per cent had been reached.

Trump last week signalled that the US’s $39bn trade deficit with Switzerland was the key reason for the high levy. However, many business groups have pointed out that this turned to a surplus in April and May of this year.

Data compiled by the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce show Switzerland ran a goods trade surplus of $4.2bn with the US in May, compared with a goods deficit of $22bn in January.

It said this was primarily due to pharmaceutical companies stockpiling ahead of Trump’s first round of tariffs in April.

Trade lobby groups have branded the tariff arbitrary, and warned of threats to tens of thousands of jobs in watchmaking, machinery, chemicals, food and pharma sectors — industries heavily orientated towards the US market.

The Swiss government said on Monday that the US deficit with Switzerland up to March 2025 was not the result of any “unfair trade practices”. It added that it had unilaterally scrapped all tariffs on industrial goods as of January 2024, meaning that more than 99 per cent of US goods enter Switzerland tariff-free.