WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday that he’s not concerned about the impact of the continuing trade war with China on American consumers, musing during a cabinet meeting that “maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30.”
Trump made the remark in response to a journalist who asked when he plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“It will happen,” Trump said. “I told you before, they’re having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business. They made a trillion dollars with Biden … selling this stuff. Much of it we don’t need.
“You know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be empty’. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally,” the president added.
“But we’re not talking about something that we have to go out of our way — they have ships that are loaded up with stuff, much of which — not all of it, but much of which we don’t need. And we have to make a fair deal.”
The president concluded: “We’ve been ripped off by every country in the world, but China, I would say, is the leading one, the leading candidate for the chief ripper-offer.”
Trump has imposed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods since taking office in January, when the average rate was about 21%.
The massive levies — and Beijing’s public insistence it won’t be “blackmailed” into trade reforms — have stoked speculation that there will be a temporary reduction in rates as a good-will gesture to spur engagement.
Trump previously has spoken dismissively about the need to import goods from countries which he has tariffed, including repeatedly saying the US has no need for Canadian lumber, energy products, or cars made in factories north of the border.
