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President Donald Trump said he would not drop tariffs on China to ensure Beijing came to the negotiation table.
The president defended his stance on tariffs he defended in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” recorded from his Mar-a-Lago property. He insisted it
“They said they wanted to talk about it today. Look, China, and I don’t like this. I’m not happy with this. China is being killed now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They are absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closed. Their unemployment rate is through the roof. I’m not trying to do that in China right now. At the same time, I’m not looking to make hundreds of millions of dollars in China and build more ships, more army tanks and more planes.”
“You’re dropping tariffs on China to take them to the negotiation table?” Welker asked.
Trump replied “No.”
China is discussing with Trump’s managers about lowering tariffs, the ministry says
President Donald Trump will speak at the White House Crosshall during an event on “American Investment” held in Washington on April 30, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise I can’t do business with them,” he later added. “And they want to do business the same way the economy is doing really badly. Their economy is falling apart.”
Trump has pushed back the premise of Welker’s questioning about whether he would consider small business relief. The president said the NBC host should consider big companies, such as the automotive industry, who are “making big money” for his tariff plans. Trump also refused to rule out certain tariffs from being permanent, claiming that the US could expect new investments worth $9 trillion in office.
They reportedly are seeking consultations with Trump about fentanyl ingredients amid the trade war
He said Apple and other high-tech companies, as well as auto companies such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Stellarantis, are committed to bringing billions of dollars of plants to the US.
The Chinese government has gathered a list of American products that are exempt from a 125% tariff on US goods, Reuters reported last week. Beijing already has exemptions for certain US drugs, microchips and aircraft engines.
Trump also refused to rule out the possibility of a recession in the short term, but has promised “the biggest economic boom in history.”
“Is it okay to have a recession in the short term?” Welker asked.
“Yeah, look. … Everything’s fine,” Trump replied, insisting that the US economy is in a “transition period” and that “we’re going to do great.”
“Are you worried about the recession?” Welker asked.
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping
And Trump responded frankly, “No.”
“Are you worried that it might happen? Do you think it could happen?” she pushed.
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“Everything can happen,” Trump said. “But I think we have the largest economy in our country’s history. I think we have the largest economic boom in history.”
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