"These countries are calling us up, kissing my a**," said US President Donald Trump at a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) donor dinner on Tuesday, boasting that world leaders are scrambling to negotiate trade deals in the wake of his aggressive tariff policies, which came into effect starting today (April 9).
Speaking to a room full of House Republicans in Washington, Trump claimed his tariff-driven strategy has put the United States in a dominant position on the global stage.
"They are dying to make a deal," he said, referring to foreign governments eager to avoid punitive trade measures.
He went on to mock their desperation with a dramatic impersonation: "Please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, sir".
The President even mocked dissident Republicans who proposed that the US Congress should handle talks with foreign governments. "Let me tell you, you don’t negotiate like I negotiate," he said.
On April 2, Donald Trump fired off his latest trade salvo — a sweeping 10 per cent 'baseline' tariff on nearly every country, with steeper 'reciprocal' rates targeting what his team calls "bad actors", including China and India.
The escalation didn't stop there. The White House declared a punitive 104 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports, effective from midnight, April 8. Beijing was given 24 hours to dismantle its 34 per cent retaliatory tariff on US goods — or face the full brunt. China did not blink.
In an unusual outreach, China is now signalling solidarity with India. On Tuesday, Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, urged New Delhi to stand with Beijing against what he termed "US abuse of tariffs".
"The China-India economic and trade relationship is based on complementarity and mutual benefit. Facing the US abuse of tariffs... the two largest developing countries should stand together to overcome the difficulties," Yu said in a post on X.
India, too, is feeling the heat. Trump’s 26% tariff on Indian exports kicked in on Wednesday, rattling markets. The Sensex opened in the red, with investors fearing a new phase of global trade turbulence.
Source: India Today