In an interview with ABC’s Terry Moran, Trump dismissed concerns that these tariffs would raise prices on everything from clothing to electronics. “That’s good… they deserve it,” he said bluntly, referring to China. “At 145, they basically can’t do much business with the United States. They were ripping us off like nobody’s ever ripped us off.”

He also pointed fingers at other nations, saying, “Almost every country in the world was ripping us off.” But Beijing doesn’t appear ready to back down, warning that the U.S. is abusing tariff policies, with no signs of de-escalation.

As price hikes ripple through the economy, Trump maintains that Americans aren’t feeling the pinch. “The country’s doing great,” he said during the April 29 interview. “Wait till you see the real numbers come out in six months.” He characterized the tariffs as long-overdue retaliation after years of what he called “trading abuse.”