China, in his words · First term · № 58
Said "I am the chosen one" to take on China over trade
“Over the last 5 or 6 years, China has made $500 billion—$500 billion. Ripped it out of the United States. And not only that—if you take a look, intellectual property theft. Add that to it. And add a lot of other things to it. ... Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one. Somebody had to do it. So I'm taking on China. I'm taking on China on trade. And you know what? We're winning.”
- Said
- , Exchange with reporters at the White House before departing for Louisville, Kentucky
- Subject
- trade war
- Threat
- Economic threat
- Topic
- Trade & tariffs
- Era
- First term
What the record showed
Three days later Trump tweeted that he had been "kidding, being sarcastic" when he used the phrase. He announced a Phase One deal with China on December 13, 2019, and signed it on January 15, 2020. China ultimately bought 58 percent of the U.S. exports it had committed to purchase under the agreement, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The U.S. goods deficit with China was $342.6 billion in 2019 and $352.8 billion in 2021.
Sources
- Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Departure for Louisville, Kentucky
- Tweet: 'When I looked up to the sky and jokingly said "I am the chosen one,"'
- Tweet: 'We have agreed to a very large Phase One Deal with China.'
- Remarks With Vice Premier Liu He of China on Signing the United States-China Phase One Trade Agreement
- China bought none of the extra $200 billion of US exports in Trump's trade deal
- Trade in Goods with China