Aboard Air Force One — The White House isn’t concerned about Beijing’s escalatory rhetoric in response to the U.S. tariff increase on China, President Trump told National Review aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening.
“No, they took that rhetoric back,” Trump said. “They were very tough, and I said, ‘Whoa, what’s that all about?’ And that rhetoric was taken back.”
While the president did not elaborate on what comments were retracted or in what setting, he weighed in after tough statements from Chinese officials, who had warned the United States they would fight “a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war” until the very end. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had accused Trump of being “two-faced” and the U.S. of “meeting good with evil.” Beijing lashed out after the Trump administration doubled tariffs on Chinese imports to 20 percent, imposing up to an additional 15 percent tariff on certain American goods.
But Trump voiced confidence in his handling of the trade war and said he planned to meet “at some point” with Chinese President Xi Jinping as well. “I have a very good relationship with President Xi, very good. And at some point I’ll meet with him,” Trump said, when asked about the possibility by NR during a gaggle with reporters.
“It’s going to make our country rich again,” Trump told reporters of tariffs generally, which were also imposed on Canada and Mexico before his administration temporarily exempted many of their goods.
National Review joined Trump and his team aboard the president’s aircraft this weekend, filling the White House Press Pool’s new media seat for his weekend trip to West Palm Beach, Fla. While the president enjoyed a few hours of golf on his West Palm Beach course, the president’s quick getaway to Mar-a-Lago followed a dizzying week in the nation’s capital, with major developments on trade policy, escalating tensions with Iran, and continuing White House pressure on Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
On Russia and Ukraine, Trump voiced hope on the flight back that upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia could yield positive results.
“I think some very big things could happen this week,” Trump told reporters.
The administration has faced mounting criticism for its tough treatment toward Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky’s tumultuous White House visit more than a week ago. Though details were unclear, Trump said Sunday that the U.S. pause on intelligence-sharing with Ukraine is “just about” lifted, and he predicted Ukraine would also sign a sought-after minerals with the U.S.
“But we want them to want peace,” Trump told reporters. He later added, “It’s a killing field, and we’ve got to stop it.”
While Trump has repeatedly stressed to Ukraine that they don’t hold the cards in these negotiations, Trump said Sunday that “nobody really has the cards,” Russia included. “What you have to do is you have to make a deal, and you have to stop the killing. It’s a senseless war, and we’re gonna get it stopped.”
Over the weekend, Trump also sought to play down news reports regarding an alleged cabinet meeting blowup between Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) czar Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Thursday, during which the tech billionaire reportedly lambasted the Florida cabinet member for not making sufficient staffing cuts at the State Department.
The president took pains to dispute the intra-White House tensions, writing on social media Saturday afternoon that Musk and Rubio have a “GREAT” working relationship and that any statement to the contrary is “FAKE NEWS!!!” Earlier in the week, Trump said on social media that cabinet secretaries will have final say on staff restructuring decisions and will continue to coordinate with Elon Musk on DOGE-recommended staffing cuts.
On Air Force One, Trump denied that tensions are high between Musk and cabinet members. “DOGE has been incredible,” the president told reporters.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to characterize his decision to suspend some recently announced tariffs against China, Mexico, and automakers as a “short term” reprieve that will force parties to make concessions to the U.S. before his April 2 deadline, when he says reciprocal levies will be reinstated. Pressed by Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Thursday about investor uncertainty surrounding the White House’s whipsawing approach to trade policy in recent days, Trump dismissed the need to give clarity on trade strategy, saying only that “tariffs could go up as time goes by.”
Asked by Bartiromo whether he thinks there will be a recession this year, Trump said “I hate to predict things like that,” while conceding that there will be a “period of transition” in the economy in the coming weeks amid his administration’s trade efforts. During the Fox News interview, he suggested Ukraine “may not survive” even with U.S. support, and said
Trump’s return to Washington comes ahead of a busy legislative week ahead on Capitol Hill. Midday Saturday, the president urged congressional Republicans to support a continuing resolution spearheaded by House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) to avert a shutdown ahead of the March 14 government funding deadline. Even if House Republicans manage to pass the bill with narrow margins early this week, Senate GOP leaders will need to work fast to cobble up support from some Democrats to clear the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold before the Friday deadline.
Also over the weekend, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed Trump’s demand that Tehran come to the negotiating table for a nuclear deal or face threat of U.S. military action, dismissing what he called “bullying governments” that “are making new demands which will definitely not be accepted by Iran.” Further detailing his private letter to the ayatollah, which Trump says he sent on Wednesday, the president told Fox Business on Friday that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal.
“I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people,” said Trump, who pulled out of the Obama-era Iran deal in 2018.
Also along for the ride back to Washington on Sunday were a slew of high-profile aides and confidantes, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Christopher LaCivita.