In a notable moment of trade war brinkmanship, President Donald Trump has called the severe tariffs on China “not sustainable,” while simultaneously insisting that China’s actions “forced” his hand.
This admission comes as the president prepares for a critical meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in just two weeks. Trump’s comments reflect a dual strategy: acknowledging the policy’s strain while refusing to back down on blame.
“I think we’re going to be fine with China,” Trump said, projecting confidence in a future deal. But he also warned, “China is always looking for an edge… We’ll see what happens.” This highlights the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming talks.
The meeting is set to occur before a November 10 deadline, when a 90-day truce in the trade war expires. That truce has held off duties that had climbed as high as 145%, stoking fears of a global economic slowdown.
Despite calling them unsustainable, Trump defended the tariffs as a show of strength. When asked about being in a trade war, he replied, “We have a 100% tariff. If we didn’t have tariffs, we would be exposed as being a nothing.”