Trump suggests cutting China tariff rate to still-high 80% ahead of Switzerland talks

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Published Fri, May 9 2025 7:35 AM EDT Updated 12 Min Ago


President Donald Trump indicated Friday ahead of key trade talks that he was willing to lower tariffs on China to 80%, but that level may still be higher than what investors and business leaders were hoping for. “80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is one of the U.S. officials set to speak with counterparts from China at meetings in Switzerland this weekend.

An 80% levy would be a significant reduction from the 145% tariff currently facing many Chinese goods. However, that number could still be seen as prohibitive to trade. It is also much higher than the 10% baseline tariff in the U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that was announced Thursday.

It is unclear whether Trump wants the 80% rate to be the long-term tariff for China, or whether it should be viewed as a step in negotiations. In a separate post, Trump said “Many Trade Deals in the hopper, all good (GREAT!) ones!”

China is seen as the key hurdle in Trump’s effort to shake up the global trading environment. While many other major countries saw his previously announced tariffs partially paused on April 9, tensions rose between the White House and Beijing until both countries had imposed a tariff of more than 100% on goods.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/09/trump-china-tariffs-trade-talks.html

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Article updated.

Previous article/headlines -

Trump suggests cutting China tariff to still-high 80% ahead of U.S.-Beijing trade talks


Published Fri, May 9 2025 7:35 AM EDT Updated 6 Min Ago


President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods "seems right" ahead of key trade talks this weekend. "80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B," Trump said in a Truth Social post. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is one of the U.S. officials set to speak with counterparts from China at a meeting in Switzerland.

An 80% levy would be a sharp reduction from the 145% tariff currently facing many Chinese goods. However, that number could still be seen as prohibitive to trade, and is much higher than the 10% baseline tariff in the U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that was announced Thursday.

It is unclear if Trump wants the 80% rate to be the long-term tariff for China or should be viewed as a step in negotiations.

China is seen as the key hurdle in Trump's effort to shake up the global trading environment. While many other major countries saw the previously announced tariffs partially paused on April 9, tensions rose between the White House and Beijing until both countries had imposed a tariff of more than 100% on goods.

Original article/headline -

Trump says 80% tariff on China 'seems right' ahead of U.S.-Beijing trade talks

Published Fri, May 9 2025 7:35 AM EDT Updated 6 Min Ago


President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods "seems right" ahead of key trade talks this weekend.

"80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B," Trump said in a Truth Social post. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is one of the U.S. officials set to speak with counterparts from China at a meeting in Switzerland.

An 80% levy would be a sharp reduction from the 145% tariff currently facing many Chinese goods.

China is seen as the key hurdle in Trump's effort to shake up the global trading environment. While many other major countries saw the previously announced tariffs partially paused on April 9, tensions between the White House and Beijing until both countries had imposed a tariff of more than 100% on goods.

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[BoRaGard]

1. Seems right today

But tomorrow is another day.

G.O.P. thinks this is brilliant strategery. Meanwhile, repubes keep STOMPING
on programs that provide so much as a morsel of food for the hungry.

[Kid Berwyn]

2. His gut never lets him down.

The Dear Leader of the Turd Reich uses adipose tissue for brains, fortunately.

[dutch777]

3. Chinese may think otherwise. Trump acts like he is negotiating a property sale. This is a different deal dummy.

Yeah, I have this property and I want $145 mil for it. Oh, well (after no sale, no bites) I'll take $80 million. Oh, but the market values is really only $10 million and any interested buyer has done his homework and knows that. Hmmm, what to do when no one comes to play??

[Bengus81]

7. China will tell Trump to take off that first number and you have a DEAL.....

[gab13by13]

4. 80% will have the same effect as 145%

Krasnov is afraid of people using the "C" word on him - Cave.

[gab13by13]

5. China's exports were down 20% but

they were 8 1/2% higher than expected, which means it is finding other markets.

[ananda]

11. Of course. The USA will just be dropped like a bad habit.

No reason to trade with us if you can trade with others.

[Bengus81]

6. Still think that's a great "deal" on stuff that costs $80- $100 Trump? Go ask Harbor Freight

if they agree. A tool you can buy today for $90-99 suddenly becomes $180. Better tool,longer lasting?

Nah... just the TRUMP TAX that WE get to pay so the top 2-3% can get that new Gulfstream or another yacht.

[wolfie001]

9. Vast majority of the owners, operators and employees in that corporation voted for him

Just like the huckleberry farmers wearing their wonder bread-bag shoes. Their lives were gonna be so much better.

[wolfie001]

8. Amazing the number of bootlickers and "financial gurus" thinking this fat clown is a genius

They must have so much racism and hatred in their being that this repulsive and nasty human makes them feel safe. He "completes" them. Just like in that Hollywood flick.

[moniss]

10. Attempting to manipulate the stock market

once again. I wonder how many family and friends he advised ahead of time that he was going to do this? If anybody guesses "none" I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

[republianmushroom]

12. Waffling, will cave soon.

Me thinks, donald, they shoveled your tariffs right up your orange rectum.

[Ray Bruns]

13. I believe the Chinese offer was

[LittleGirl]

14. According to the local Swiss news

The Chinese may not show up considering this b.s. about the US and China negotiations in Geneva.

The US says that China wanted to meet there. Not according to the Swiss news. the US set it up and asked China to come.

China refused until the press said it was all set.

Lies and more lies.

[Tarzanrock]

15. So begins the Turd's "surrender" to China.

First, the Turd "caved" to the U.K. but "you ain't seen nothin,' yet!" Once the Turd "negotiaties" his "cave" to China -- we are going to be "paying China" to export our soybeans, corn and pig parts" to China and we are also going to be paying our Republican voting "welfare queen" farmers and hog producers hundreds of "billions" of dollars in trade "relief" from our taxpayer dollars. You can take these facts to the bank. Of course, the Turd's utterly incompetent collective ass lickers, Bessent and Nutlick, will proclaim the Turd's "cave" as the "greatest" trade negotiation of all trade negotiations of all time and that it happened only because of the greatest "trade negotiatior god" ever to "negotiate" personally negotiated this fantastic trade "deal." Naturally, no one in the news media will notice nor comment on the fact that the Turd gave Xi Jingpin Taiwan as an incentitive to China reach this negotiated trade "deal." It is sad for the people of Taiwan who will suffer but someone has to suffer for America to reach the "Golden Age" as envisioned by the Turd. No dolls at all for Xmas for the children of Taiwan. So sorry, children. So very, very sorry!

[Montauk6]

16. Trump is blinking so much on these "deals," we can all save on air conditioning.

[Jarqui]

17. The self-anointed great negotiator ...negotiating with himself and losing ... nt

[Javaman]

18. the orange asshole is blinking so much Xi thinks he's batting his eyes at him. nt

[Tarzanrock]

19. Xi Jinping is in Moscow ...

... meeting with the Turd's personal idol and god, Vladimir Putin, and enjoying a massive military parade. That's really got to "hurt," -- not being "invited" and basically "shunned" by Vlad and Xi, huh, Turd? You can almost hear them "laughing" at you for unilaterally "reducing" your idiotic Chinese tariffs from 145% to 80% -- can't you, Turd? In fact, the whole world is "laughing" at you, isn't it, Turd?

[Pototan]

20. "Mad King Donald"

He just picks numbers out of his asshole. He says and posts things that just pop into his mind. Gaza a casino resort area, Greenland, Panama, Canada and all that. It's just mad. And I mean mad as in crazy, not just angry.

Absurd appointments, dozens of lies in one press briefing. Dressing up as the Pope and tweeting it out on the US official platform.

Nuts, I tell you, just plain nuts.

[Mz Pip]

21. He doesn't know what he's doing.

And particularly small businesses will suffer. It’s impossible to have a feasible business plan when every day he changes his mind. Large corporations can wait it out for a while but small businesses need their supplies and nothing is coming into the ports.

I have a friend who makes jewelry. He has a small business with a couple of employees. Some of his materials come from China and he can’t get them now. He doesn’t have the luxury of waiting this out. His decades old business is on the verge of collapse because Trump is an incompetent douche bag.