Trump says he will not drop tariffs to get China to negotiating table

President Donald Trump said helium volition not driblet tariffs connected China to get Beijing to travel to the negotiating table. 

The president discussed his stance connected the tariffs, which helium defended, successful an interrogation with NBC's "Meet The Press" recorded Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He claimed that 

"They said contiguous they privation to talk. Look, China, and I don't similar this. I'm not blessed astir this. China's getting killed close now," Trump told big Kristen Welker. "They're getting perfectly destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going done the roof. I'm not looking to bash that to China now. At the aforesaid time, I'm not looking to person China marque hundreds of billions of dollars and physique much ships and much Army tanks and much airplanes." 

"You're not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?" Welker asked. 

Trump responded, "No."

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President Donald Trump speaks successful the Cross Hall of the White House during an lawsuit connected "Investing successful America" connected April 30, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. Trump was joined by CEOs to item their companies during the event.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"At immoderate point, I'm going to little them, due to the fact that different you could ne'er bash concern with them," helium added later. "And they privation to bash concern precise overmuch similar their system is truly doing badly. Their system is collapsing." 

Trump pushed backmost connected the premise of Welker’s question astir whether he’d see alleviation for tiny businesses. The president said the NBC big should see larger businesses, specified arsenic the car industry, that "are going to marque a fortune" due to the fact that of his tariff plan. Trump besides declined to regularisation retired making immoderate tariffs permanent, claiming the U.S. could expect $9 trillion worthy of caller investments since helium took office. 

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He noted that Apple and different tech companies, arsenic good arsenic automobile companies, specified arsenic Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Stellantis, person made multi-billion-dollar commitments to bring their plants to the United States. 

The Chinese authorities has assembled a database of American products that would beryllium exempt from its 125% tariffs connected U.S. goods, Reuters reported past week. Beijing already has exemptions for immoderate U.S. pharmaceuticals, microchips and craft engines. 

Trump besides declined to regularisation retired a imaginable recession successful the abbreviated term, though helium promised the "greatest economical roar successful history."

"Is it good successful the abbreviated word to have a recession?" Welker asked. 

"Look, yeah. . . . Everything's okay," Trump responded, arguing that the U.S. system is successful a "transition period" and "we're going to bash fantastically." 

"Are you disquieted astir a recession?" Welker asked.

President Donald Trump and Chinese person Xi Jinping

To that, Trump responded flatly, "No." 

"Are you disquieted it could happen? Do you deliberation it could happen?" she pressed. 

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"Anything tin happen," Trump said. "But I deliberation we're going to person the top system successful the past of our country. I deliberation we're going to person the top economical roar successful history."