Early on Sunday, Trump said to reporters he could have second thoughts on the China tariffs; but hours later, the White House press secretary said his "answer has been greatly misinterpreted"
Less than five hours after President Donald Trump appeared to waver in his threats to escalate a trade war with China, the White House insisted that the president had done no such thing and that his only regret was that he had not been more aggressive.
Speaking to reporters earlier Sunday, Trump was asked if he had second thoughts about ratcheting up tariffs and threats against China last week, in moves that rattled global stock markets.
“Yeah, sure, why not?” Trump replied. “Might as well. Might as well. I have second thoughts about everything.”
Trump added that “We’re getting along very well with China” and said that he did not expect to declare an emergency that could allow him to order American companies out of China, as he had suggested days earlier.
But just hours later on Sunday, after Trump’s comments generated headlines saying he was taking a softer tone toward China, the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said, “His answer has been greatly misinterpreted.”
“President Trump responded in the affirmative — because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher,” she said in a statement emailed to reporters.
©2019 New York Times News Service