Trump Says He Thinks China Deal Will Be Made

President Donald Trump suggested the trade conflict with China may not continue to escalate, saying repeatedly that China wants a deal. "And I think a deal will be made," he told reporters at the White House on Nov. 16. "We'll find out very soon." Trump said that China "sent a list of things that they’re willing to do, which was a large list, and it’s just not acceptable to me yet. There were four or five big things left off. I think we’ll probably get them, too. But it’s -- as you know, it’s a very complete list. I think it’s 142 items, and that’s a lot of items."

Trump vacillated between harsh rhetoric and conciliatory language. -- "We can’t have trade that’s meant for stupid people," he said at one point. "I have a great respect for China," he said, later adding, "I don’t want to put them in a bad situation." He said the U.S. is doing very well with the tariffs it's levied on Chinese imports. "We’re talking about billions and billions of dollars a month will flow into our country," he said. "We have another $267 billion to go if we want to. We may not have to do that. China would like to make a deal."