The Blubber

President Donald Trump stated he will not remove tariffs on China merely to bring Beijing to the negotiating table.

In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, recorded Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump defended his tariff policy. He asserted:

“They said today they want to talk. Look, China—and I don’t like saying this, I’m not happy about it—China’s getting killed right now,” he told host Kristen Welker. “Their factories are shutting down. Unemployment is soaring. I’m not trying to do that to China. But at the same time, I’m not going to let China make hundreds of billions of dollars and use it to build more ships, tanks, and planes.”

Welker asked, “You're not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?”

Trump replied simply, “No.”

China Signals Willingness to Discuss Tariff Reductions, According to Its Ministry

Later in the interview, Trump added, “At some point, I will lower them, because if you don’t, you can’t do business with them. And they want to do business badly. Their economy is collapsing.”

When pressed on whether he would consider easing tariffs to help small businesses, Trump shifted focus to larger industries, arguing that companies like automakers would benefit greatly from the tariffs.

“You’ve got to look at the bigger companies—the car companies are going to make a fortune,” he said, also suggesting some tariffs might become permanent. He claimed the U.S. could see $9 trillion in new investments since he took office.

Tech and Auto Giants Commit to U.S. Manufacturing Amid Tariff Strategy

Trump highlighted that major companies, including Apple, Toyota, Honda, General Motors, and Stellantis, have made multibillion-dollar investments to build or expand facilities in the United States.

Meanwhile, China has prepared a list of American products that could be exempt from its 125% retaliatory tariffs, Reuters reported. Some U.S. pharmaceuticals, microchips, and aircraft engines are already excluded.

Recession Possible, but Trump Predicts Record-Breaking Growth

Welker also questioned Trump on the possibility of a short-term recession.

“Is it okay in the short term to have a recession?” she asked.

“Look, yeah… everything’s okay,” Trump answered, saying the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” and predicting “we’re going to do fantastically.”

“Are you worried about a recession?” Welker asked again.