White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at Wednesday’s press briefing, addressed growing global reactions to President Donald Trump’s recent tariff strategy.
Leavitt defended the administration’s approach and emphasized that nations across the world are actively seeking trade relationships with the United States despite heightened tariffs on Chinese imports.
“You tried to say that the rest of the world would be moved closer to China, when in fact, we’ve seen the opposite effect,” Leavitt said to reporters in the briefing room.
“The entire world is calling the United States of America, not China, because they need our markets, they need our consumers, and they need this president in the Oval Office to talk to them.”
Elon Musk Called This Financial News ‘Terrifying’
Leavitt continued, “That’s exactly why more than 75 countries have called, because the United States of America is the best place in the world to do business. And the president has shown great courage, as the Secretary just said, in choosing to retaliate against China even higher!”
🔥BOOM: LEAVITT DROPS THE HAMMER ON THE MEDIA!
“Many of you in the media clearly missed The Art of the Deal. You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here. You you tried to say that the rest of the world would be moved closer to China, when in fact, we’ve seen the… pic.twitter.com/eY676007nW
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 9, 2025
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Her comments came one day after President Trump announced a 90-day pause on the administration’s reciprocal tariff initiative, which allows for country-specific tariff rates.
While the pause reduces most import tariffs to 10% through July 8, the White House increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 125% due to what it described as a lack of cooperation from the Chinese government.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
🚨 NEW TRUTH FROM @POTUS:
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately.”
“I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered… pic.twitter.com/HaOx3m3J1G
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 9, 2025
The reciprocal tariff structure, unveiled by Trump on April 2, was designed to match or exceed the import taxes levied on American goods by other nations.
Since the announcement, over 75 countries have reportedly reached out to the White House to negotiate tailored trade deals.
Secretary Bessent previously stated that it could take until June to finalize individual agreements with nations seeking exemptions or adjustments under the new tariff framework.
With the 90-day pause now in place, most trading partners will be subject to the 10% rate while discussions continue.
Financial markets responded positively following the announcement of the tariff pause.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had risen over 6%, the NASDAQ increased nearly 10%, and the S&P 500 was up by close to 8%, though those gains did not yet fully recover the losses incurred earlier in the week.
Trump administration officials argue that the tariff strategy is encouraging global partners to shift trade priorities away from China and back toward the United States.
The significant increase in tariffs targeting Chinese imports is part of a broader effort to counter economic aggression and regain leverage in bilateral trade relationships.
Leavitt’s remarks follow ongoing media scrutiny over the potential long-term impact of tariffs on consumers and businesses.
However, White House officials maintain that the reciprocal tariff program is already producing results in the form of renewed international engagement and economic momentum.
Neither the Chinese government nor the Chinese Ministry of Commerce had issued an official response as of Wednesday to the 125% tariff announcement.
The White House confirmed that negotiations are underway with several key trading partners and emphasized that the administration will continue to pursue agreements that put American economic interests first.
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