“I think we have the largest economy in our country’s history,” the president said in a new interview.
President Donald Trump said he believes a recession is unlikely and that the concerns that tariffs could pose on the US economy are being downplayed.
Trump said he personally wasn’t worried about the possibility of a recession, but pointed out that “anything can happen.”
“But I think we have the largest economy in our country’s history,” he added.
“You say, ‘Some people on Wall Street say.’ Well, I’ll tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say we have the largest economy in history.
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Last month, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all US trading partners, and also imposed a higher round-trip tariff on countries that trade more importantly with the US. A week later, Trump suspended tariffs higher than 90 days, but raised China’s duties to 145%.
His administration also imposes 25% tariffs on cars, iron and aluminum, and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Trump said tariffs in Mexico and Canada are part of negotiations to improve border security for both countries and end fentanyl trafficking in the United States.
The Trump administration is negotiating with dozens of countries for trade transactions that could avoid higher tariffs, officials said.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump refused to rule out certain tariffs from making them permanent. “No, I don’t do that because if someone thinks they’re going to leave the table, why are they built in the US?” he said.
Regarding tariffs on Chinese products, Trump said: He then listed products that people believe they don’t need, such as large quantities of cheaply produced children’s toys.
Later in the interview, Trump suggested that prices for some products could “be” rise, but said that the decline in energy prices would expand to consumers. “Gasoline is thousands of times more important than a stroller,” he said, adding, “Like I said, you don’t have to have 35 dolls.”
“We went to the cold turkey,” he said in trade with China. “That’s because we’re not trading with them right now, and they want to trade, they want to trade very badly.
Also in the media’s arrival, Trump was asked about recent comments he made about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Last month, Trump wrote on social media that he believes Powell should either lower interest rates or resign.
“Well, he should lower them, and at some point he’ll do that, not because he’s not a fan of mine,” he said.
When asked if he would remove Powell before his term before the end of the chair in 2026, Trump said, “No, no, no. It was the total… why would I do that?
Reuters contributed to this report.
