Trump says he is reluctant to keep raising tariffs on China

Trump backs off tariff hike on China — for now

Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, President Trump said he’s hesitant to increase tariffs on Chinese goods beyond their current elevated levels, suggesting that doing so could backfire. “At a certain point, you make it where people don’t buy,” Trump told reporters. “I may want to go to less, because you want people to buy.”

The comment reflects a rare pause in Trump’s aggressive trade posture, even as the U.S. maintains tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese imports. Beijing has retaliated with 125% duties, and yet both sides remain entrenched, each blaming the other for stalling progress.

Despite the deadlock, Trump said officials close to Chinese President Xi Jinping had reached out to resume dialogue. “I have a very good relationship with President Xi,” he said. “They’ve reached out a number of times.” When asked whether Xi himself had made contact, Trump replied, “Well, the same. If they reached out, he knew. He runs it very tight, very strong, very smart.”

TikTok deal linked to broader trade track

Trump also signaled that the pending TikTok deal — involving the sale of ByteDance’s U.S. operations — is on hold until broader trade issues are resolved. “We have a deal for TikTok, but it’ll be subject to China, so we’ll just delay the deal till this thing works out,” he said.

He described the agreement as favorable to both sides and hinted that it could be part of a larger trade package. “It’s a natural. If we’re making a deal, I guess we’ll spend five minutes talking about TikTok.”

Trump to EU: a deal is coming, but don’t hold your breath

In a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump said he expects to reach a trade deal with the European Union, but offered no timeline. “There’ll be a trade deal. I fully expect it, but it’ll be a fair deal,” he said, adding pointedly, “We’re in no rush.”

The comment leaves EU officials in limbo, especially after Trump paused new tariffs on European imports for 90 days — a window that has sent diplomats scrambling. If no agreement is reached, the EU faces a 20% “reciprocal” tariff, double the current 10%.

Meloni urged Trump to engage directly with EU leaders, noting she could not negotiate on the bloc’s behalf. “I cannot do this deal in the name of the European Union,” she said. Still, she expressed optimism that a direct conversation between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could break the impasse.

Energy and symbolism: Meloni seeks to bridge the gap

Meloni highlighted potential areas of cooperation, including LNG imports, defense, and space, and emphasized the broader strategic goal: “The goal for me is to make the West great again. And I think we can do it together.”

Her visit — the first by an EU leader since the tariff pause — was closely watched by allies and rivals alike for signs of what concessions Trump might seek. Italian officials admitted expectations were low for immediate breakthroughs, especially since U.S. officials said most tariffs would remain in place.

Trump: The tariffs stay — unless they don’t

Trump hinted that a “baseline” level of tariffs would remain no matter what, signaling he won’t drop duties altogether. But he kept the door open to flexibility, depending on how negotiations play out.

“We have a lot of countries that want to make deals,” Trump said. “Frankly, they want deals more than I do.”

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the U.S. is prioritizing talks with the world’s 15 largest economies. Next up: South Korea, then India. Whether Trump uses the leverage of looming tariffs to extract meaningful concessions — or simply keeps global partners waiting — remains to be seen.