Trump Defends Tariffs, Dismisses Threat of Retaliatory Moves

(Bloomberg News/TNS) — Former President Donald Trump defended his plan to increase tariffs on Chinese imports if elected for a second term, saying he did not mind if China retaliated with tariffs of its own on U.S. goods. 

In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Trump said he was not concerned that potential retaliatory action from China would harm U.S. growth. 

“That’s OK, they might do that, but they didn’t do that with me,” he said. “Even if they do, let American companies come back to America.” 

Trump has privately floated a tariff as high as 60% on Chinese imports if re-elected. He reaffirmed that stance in the interview, mentioning how Chinese manufacturers have relocated to Mexico to sell to the U.S. 

“I would say to China: If you’re building a plant on our border to build cars in Mexico and to sell them into the United States, I’m putting a 50% tariff on all those cars,” he added.

The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to Trump’s comments.