President Donald Trump is squarely blaming China for his administration’s “not sustainable” tariff policy, claiming “they forced me to do that” ahead of a critical summit with President Xi Jinping.
The meeting is set for two weeks from now. Trump’s admission that the tariffs are “not sustainable” suggests he is seeking an exit, but his rhetoric positions any de-escalation as a concession he extracted from Beijing.
“I get along great with him [Xi],” Trump said, offering an optimistic path forward. “I think we’re going to be fine with China.”
However, he also tempered this hope, warning that “China is always looking for an edge” and adding, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens.”
The talks are under pressure from a November 10 deadline, when a 90-day truce expires. This truce has paused a trade war that stoked fears of a global slowdown, and Trump is now demanding a “fair deal” to prevent its return.
