Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated throughout a latest interview that President Trump’s administration is trying to deescalate the continuing tariff warfare however first might want to get the China commerce dispute “right.”
“So I feel the president want to work it out with China, as he stated, he’d prefer to deescalate it. However look, he is not going to stay with a trillion-dollar deficit,” Lutnick said Friday during his appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“He’s just not going to do it. So the idea is de-escalate, but let’s get China trade right, and let’s get trade deals with the rest of the world,” he continued. “Let’s reduce our commerce deficit down. Let’s develop our GDP.”
The commerce chief added, “I think the President can grow our GDP 3 percent, I mean, I think this president’s got it right. He’s got it dead right, and he’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing.”
Lutnick’s remarks got here simply forward of scheduled commerce talks between the U.S. and China in Switzerland. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead the U.S. delegation for talks in Geneva reverse Chinese language Vice Premier He Lifeng.
It will likely be the primary in-person interplay between the 2 sides since Trump final month imposed a 125 % tariff, paired with an present 20 %, on items coming from China. In response, Beijing hit Washington with a 125 % obligation on imports from the U.S.
Trump indicated earlier Friday that he’s prepared to minimize the tariff stress on China, suggesting he may decrease import taxes all the way down to 80 %. However, he stated, it is “up to Scott B.”
The president late final month put a 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs launched throughout his “Liberation Day” announcement, however Beijing was notably omitted. A ten % baseline tariff remains to be in play on almost all buying and selling companions.
Lutnick on Friday stated there’s “no chance” import taxes can be accomplished paused between the U.S. and China, even after the talks in Switzerland.
“They arrive all the way down to a human degree, proper to a degree the place we do enterprise. There are important tariffs. The President goes to maintain important tariffs on commerce with China,” he told host Laura Ingraham. “That’s his goal. That is his expectation that must be everyone’s expectation.”
U.S. Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer, alongside Bessent, may also take part within the commerce discussions.
The weekend talks come after the U.S. struck its first commerce deal earlier this week. Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer introduced the settlement on Thursday, which incorporates billions of {dollars} of elevated market entry for U.S. exports, notably in agriculture.
