videoAmid ongoing trade discussions between the U.S. and China, Trump insisted on Thursday that his hardline negotiating tactics – including the imposition of a slew of tariffs – have put the U.S. in a more favorable economic position.
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During a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday night, Trump said had Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election, China might currently have the top economy in the world.
“Right now, I can tell you they’re not even close,” Trump said.
The president has said the ongoing tariff war is hurting the Chinese economy, not the U.S. He has insisted that companies are leaving China as the country’s supply chain is being crippled and jobs are being lost.
“The supply chain of China, which was unbreakable, is now breaking wide open,” Trump said on Thursday.
There are concerns in the U.S., however, that the ongoing trade war is weighing on the domestic economy, in addition to the global economy. American manufacturers had their worst month since the Great Recession in September, as consumers are less optimistic about the future than they are about today.
In regards to the ongoing trade talks, Trump said on Thursday representatives from China want to make a deal, but the U.S. was “going to determine whether or not” they want to make it.
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“They’re tough as hell those Chinese negotiators,” Trump added. “But we are doing very well in that negotiation.”
Trade talks between the world’s two largest economies, which began on Thursday, are expected to resume in D.C. on Friday morning. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is leading the Chinese delegation while U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are leading the U.S. team.
Trump is scheduled to meet with the Vice Premier on Friday afternoon.