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ABC News

Trump addresses stock market losses, China trade deficit

PHOTO: President Donald Trump walks to deliver remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025.
9:59
Leah Millis/Reuters
‘I don't think you're going to see a big effect on the consumer in the U.S.’: Hassett
By Alexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, William Mansell, Max Zahn
Last Updated: April 7, 2025, 6:53 AM

The fallout continues after President Donald Trump's unveiling of severe tariffs against virtually all U.S. trading partners.

On Sunday, ABC's "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos pressed White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett about Trump reposting a video that said he was tanking the markets to force the Fed to lower interest rates. Hassett said Trump was entitled to his opinion, but denied that his tariff policy was intended to put pressure on the Fed to lower rates.

Trading on Thursday and Friday marked the worst days for U.S. stocks since 2020.

Key Headlines

  • Economic adviser denies Trump’s tanking markets to force rate cuts
  • House Republican also planning bill to rein in Trump’s tariff authority
  • Trump delivers message to Americans as tariffs take effect: 'HANG TOUGH'
  • Universal 10% tariffs in effect as Wall Street continues reeling
  • Trump says businesses aren’t worried about tariffs
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 07, 2025 6:53 AM

Trump says he won't make deal with China on tariffs unless trade deficit is resolved

President Donald Trump said America's trade deficit with China must first be resolved before he considers making a deal regarding his sweeping tariffs against the country.

"We have a trillion-dollar trade deficit with China -- hundreds of billions of dollars a year we lose with China. And unless we solve that problem, I'm not going to make a deal," the president told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.

"Now, I'm willing to deal with China, but they have to solve their surplus. We have a tremendous deficit problem with China. They have a surplus of at least a trillion dollars a year. I think it's like a trillion one, and I want that solved," Trump said.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while in flight on board Air Force One, en route to Miami, April 3, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while in flight on board Air Force One, en route to Miami, April 3, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The president also discussed with reporters the TikTok deal being in limbo, saying that China did not approve the deal because of the tariffs on the country.

"The report is that we had a deal -- pretty much for TikTok, not a deal, but pretty close and then China changed the deal because of tariffs. If I gave a little cut in tariffs, it approved that deal in 15 minutes, which shows you the power of tariffs," Trump said.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie


Apr 07, 2025 6:53 AM

Trump addresses stock market losses after his tariffs announcement

While speaking with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, President Donald Trump said he didn't crash the stock market on purpose and that he doesn't know what will happen to the market, but believes the country will come out stronger.

"Now what's going to happen with the market? I can't tell you, but I can tell you, our country has gotten a lot stronger, and eventually it'll be a country like no other, it'll be the most dominant country economically in the world," Trump said.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump walks to deliver remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters
President Donald Trump walks to deliver remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters

Asked if there's a pain in the market he's unwilling to tolerate, Trump said he doesn't want anything to go down.

"I don't want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something and we have such a horrible -- we have been treated so badly by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen," the president added.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie


Apr 06, 2025 4:53 PM

Economic adviser denies Trump’s tanking markets to force rate cuts

Despite Trump’s reposting of a video that claimed he’s purposely crashing the stock market, the president’s top economic adviser on Sunday denied that’s his strategy.

On ABC News’ “This Week,” anchor George Stephanopoulos pointed out the post on Trump’s Truth Social platform to White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and asked if he was trying to drive markets down to force the Fed to lower interest rates.

On Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at a conference that Trump's tariff policy will hike prices and slow economic growth. Minutes before Powell spoke, Trump posted on Truth Social, "This would be a PERFECT time for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut Interest Rates,” and claimed without evidence that political considerations have played a role in Powell's decision-making on interest-rate policy.

PHOTO: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett speaks to members of the media outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C., March 19, 2025.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters, FILE
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett speaks to members of the media outside of the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C., March 19, 2025.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters, FILE

Pressed by Stephanopoulos on the post, Hassett said the White House respected the Fed’s independence and denied that Trump was trying to pressure it to lower rates.

“It is not a strategy for the markets to crash. It's a strategy to create a golden age in America for the American worker. That's his strategy,” Hassett said.



Apr 06, 2025 12:29 AM

House Republican also planning bill to rein in Trump’s tariff authority

Rep. Don Bacon's office confirmed to ABC News the Nebraska Republican plans to introduce legislation aimed at reining in President Donald Trump's authority to issue new tariffs.

PHOTO: House Republicans Hold Their Caucus Meeting On Capitol Hill
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) speaks to reporters on his way to a closed-door GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol January 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Republicans passed their first bill of the 118th Congress on Monday night, voting along party lines to cut $71 billion from the Internal Revenue Service, which Senate Democrats said they would not take up. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The legislation would largely match the bill introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley and Maria Cantwell.

The bill would require the White House to notify Congress of any future tariffs within 48 hours and would require Congress to vote to approve a tariff within 60 days.

Bacon, a moderate, has repeatedly publicly broken with the Trump administration.

The bill would likely need the support of House GOP leadership to pass, which is not expected.

Politico first reported the news.

ABC News’ Jay O’Brien


Apr 03, 2025 5:16 PM

French PM Macron calls for suspension of US investments, plans counter tariffs

French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron joined the growing criticism of Trump's tariffs from allies labeling the tariffs "brutal and unfounded."

In a speech given at the Elysée Palace as he welcomed representatives from the most impacted sectors, he declared that the measures will leave the American economy, both businesses and citizens, "weaker and poorer."

Macron also called for a suspension of planned investments in the U.S. by European companies until there is greater clarity on trade policies.

He vowed that "there will be a European response."

The first one will come in mid-April on tariffs that were already announced on steel and aluminum, and then a "more massive" response concerning yesterday's announcement will come at the end of the month.

-ABC News' Hugo Leenhardt


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