Trump claims a ‘total reset’ has been reached with China

President Donald Trump claims that there has been “a total reset” with China after his aggressive tariffs fueled a trade war with the world’s second-biggest economy. The two countries are holding high-stakes talks this weekend after being at loggerheads for weeks over the tariffs. “A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday evening. “We want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!”

While no handout of the negotiations has yet been provided by either country, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua described Saturday’s meetings as “an important step toward resolving the dispute.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were deployed to meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva in an attempt to thrash out a deal. Saturday’s meeting lasted at least eight hours, according to the Wall Street Journal, but a deal was not announced. Talks will resume Sunday.

Trump imposed tariffs of 145 percent on Chinese goods, while China has set 125 percent tariffs on US products, with huge consequences for both countries. China supplies a massive amount of electronics, toys, textiles and furniture to the US as it buys grains and oilseeds from American farmers, as well as oil and gas. But in recent days, Trump has hinted that he could lower the tariffs in a bid to turn down the heat between the two nations. The president on Friday suggested lowering the tariffs to 80 percent.

Earlier, Donald Trump doubled down on his economic policies after being challenged over his ongoing trade war with China, insisting that voters “signed up for it.” The president also denied that there would be tough economic periods for Americans, saying instead that he believed “great times” were ahead. Speaking to ABC News for an interview to mark his first 100 days back in office, Trump was questioned about the economy, one of the biggest issues that he had campaigned on.

Analysts have predicted that due to economic uncertainty caused by the sweeping global tariffs announced on April 2, American families may be paying thousands more dollars per year. “There is a lot of concern out there,” ABC’s Terry Moran told him. “People are worried, even some people who voted for you, saying, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ So, how do you answer those concerns?”

“Well, they did sign up for it, actually,” Trump replied. “And this is what I campaigned on. I said that we’ve been abused by other countries at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.” Social media users were quick to react with outrage over the remarks, with some accusing the president of having “zero empathy.”

“This isn’t leadership, it’s hostage taking. ‘You voted for me, so deal with it’,” wrote one user on X. But others couldn’t help but agree, in a tongue-in-cheek way. “This may be the only truthful thing he’s said in his first 100 days. There is nothing he’s doing that wasn’t telegraphed beforehand. His voters did indeed sign up for this,” wrote another user.

Back in the ABC interview, Trump defended his record. “We were losing three to five billion a day on trade. We were losing a trillion and a half to two trillion a year — not sustainable. They were taking advantage of us like that,” he said. He added: “I could have left it that way, and at some point that would have been an implosion like nobody’s ever seen. But I said, No, we have to fix it. I’ve wanted to do this for many years. You know, I had the best economy during my first term.”

According to a poll by Reuters/ Ipsos, the percentage of Americans who approve of Trump’s economic stewardship has declined by one percentage point to 36 percent, the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency. Disapproval in Trump’s handling of the economy, compared to his first presidency, rose 5 points to 56 per cent.