Trump: "'Reciprocal Tariffs' on April 2 Will Be America's Liberation Day"

U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear that he has no intention of easing the 'tariff war' by declaring that April 2 (local time), the date he has announced for 'reciprocal tariffs,' will be "America's liberation day."

In a pre-recorded Fox News interview, when asked if he would hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in June, Trump said, "I don't shy away from summits," and added, "But something will happen, and that's the tariffs on April 2. China will pay, and other countries will pay."

He emphasized, "We have been extorted by every country in the world, friends and foes," adding, "I will call April 2 'America's Liberation Day.'"

President Trump and his economic officials have been warning that they will announce 'reciprocal tariffs' on April 2, which will be calculated taking into account tariff rates and non-tariff barriers imposed on the U.S. by countries around the world.

Trump also claimed, "Look at NATO. Until I got involved with NATO, we paid for everything."

When asked about the federal debt issue, he stated, "We need to pay off all our debt," and "We will collect (tariff revenues, etc.) for years," before asserting, "We allowed our country to be 'raped' and 'plundered,'" adding that "Much of it was done by our allies."

He continued, "Look at the European Union (EU). We can't sell them cars, but they sell millions of cars to us," and "They don't buy our agricultural products, but we buy theirs."

When questioned about concerns of a U.S. recession due to the 'tariff war,' President Trump dismissed them, saying, "We will have the strongest economy in history in the world." He also stated, "I only represent America's interests," adding, "I am a patriot, and I'm proud of that."

Lee Song-ryeol, Hankyung.com reporter yisr0203@hankyung.com