President Expresses Pessimism About China Trade Deal This Term

China is unlikely to reach agreement with U.S. trade negotiators, President Donald Trump said, as it prefers to wait and see if the next president takes a different approach. He was speaking to reporters at a press conference July 26 announcing an asylum policy with Guatemala. "I think China would probably say, 'Let’s wait. Let’s wait. Maybe Trump will lose and we can deal with another dope or another stiff,' like the people that allowed these deals to happen, this horrible thing to happen to our country," he said, according to a transcript released by the White House. Trump said that after he wins a second term, China and other countries "almost immediately" are going to sign "phenomenal deals."

"I don’t care, because we’re taking in tens of billions of dollars’ worth of tariffs," he said, referring to the prospect that China will drag its feet at the negotiating table. "And the farmers are happy because I gave them $16 billion out of the tariffs.... And we haven’t even taxed China yet, compared to what I could do."