CHINA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS: “Look, tariffs, at a minimum, are the greatest negotiating tool that we have ever devised — that were never used for negotiation. President Xi only made the deal with us — they’re going to buy $250 billion…
They didn’t want to buy from us. They took advantage of our country. Now they have to buy. And if they don’t buy, we’ll terminate the deal, very simple. But, by using the tariffs, that’s the only reason.
The one thing that he said, ‘We must get rid of tariffs.’ I said, ‘We’re not going to get rid of tariffs. You’ve got to treat our country with respect. You’ve been ripping off our country for many years.'”
-Donald Trump as quoted by Factbase, “Interview: Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum Host a Town Hall with Donald Trump – May 3, 2020,” factba.se, May 3, 2020