WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said the 145% tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports will eventually “come down substantially” as he expressed optimism about future talks to reach a U.S.-China trade deal.
Trump’s remarks Tuesday to reporters in the Oval Office came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier in the day said in a closed-door speech that the trade standoff between the United States and China is not sustainable.
“We’re going to be very nice, they’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he planned to play “hardball” with Beijing and bring up the origins of the COVID-19 virus in negotiations.
“But ultimately,” he added, “they have to make a deal because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States. So we want them involved, but they have to ‒ and other countries have to ‒ make a deal, and if they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal.”
More: Trump says tariff revenue could replace income taxes. Why economists disagree.
Trump’s multiple rounds of tariffs on Chinese imports add up to a rate of 145%, prompting China to hit back with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports totaling 125%. The Trump administration exempted smartphones, computers, semiconductors and other electronics from 125% “reciprocal” tariffs, leaving only its blanket 20% tariff on Chinese goods imposed in response to China being a source of fentanyl, but they have said the move is only temporary.
Trump said the current tariff rate on China won’t stay at the current level.
“145% is very high, and it won’t be that high,” Trump said. “No, it won’t be anywhere near that high. It’ll come down substantially. But it won’t be zero ‒ used to be zero. We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride.”
Formal trade negotiations between the U.S. and China are not underway.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the swearing-in ceremony for Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins in the Oval Office at the White House on April 22, 2025 in Washington, DC.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday more than 100 countries have reached out to the U.S. to initiate trade talks after Trump announced sweeping universal tariffs earlier this month and 18 have submitted proposals. China is not among them, however, and Leavitt said she did not have anything to report on communications between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Still, Leavitt said the administration is “doing very well with regard to a potential trade deal with China” and is “setting the stage” for a potential agreement.
More: Auto industry could get exemptions from tariffs, Trump says
Bessent on Tuesday told investors that he expects a de-escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions, but negotiations with Beijing have not yet started and would be a “slog,” according to Reuters and other media outlets.
“No one thinks the current status quo is sustainable,” Bessent said at a private investment conference in Washington held by JP Morgan Chase.
U.S. stock indexes rose by more than 2% in afternoon trade following Bessent’s remarks.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says tariffs on China will ‘come down substantially’
