As proof he knew more about trade than Mitt Ronmey, who had raised concerns about Trump’s views, he a Gucci store he owned on 5th Avenue in Manhattan and that was worth “from $400 million to a billion-two,” more than Romney’s net worth.
Romney had called Trump a “phony” and a “fraud.”
In another instance, he called NATO “as bad as NAFTA,” likening a mutual defense pact with allies to unrelated trade agreement.
Trump said, “I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines. Even though I don’t drink wine. I just like the way they look.”
President Trump says he might tax French wine: "France put on a tax on our companies, you know that, and wrong. Wrong thing to do… I've always liked American wines better than French wines. Even though I don't drink wine. I just like the way they look, okay?" pic.twitter.com/QJxNLK1FTg
During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, when asked about his tariffs, Trump said, “We don’t have any tariffs. I didn’t put tariffs. Where do we have tariffs? We don’t have tariffs anywhere.”
Hours before sitting down with the reporters, Trump tweeted about billions’ of dollars worth of tariffs.
Billions of dollars are, and will be, coming into United States coffers because of Tariffs. Great also for negotiations – if a country won’t give us a fair Trade Deal, we will institute Tariffs on them. Used or not, jobs and businesses will be created. U.S. respected again!
Phantom Fireworks donated $750,000 worth of sparklers and bottle rockets to the US government. On the same day, Trump abandoned plans to impose tariffs of 25% on practically all Chinese goods, including fireworks. Phantom Fireworks is America’s largest consumer-fireworks retailer. They had repeatedly lobbied the Trump administration to end the trade war with China.
He explained during the speech to the National Federation of Independent Businesses,
The tariffs to get common items back into Canada are so high that they have to smuggle them in. They buy shoes, then they wear them. They scuff them up. They make them sound old or look old.
Trump was referencing a New York Post opinion article in which the Canadian author describes a personal experience obtaining cheaper shoes from the United States:
A Toronto-based designer I know purchased two pairs of shoes (retail $800 each) online from a midtown department store and shipped them to my office. The Italian contraband sat under my desk for weeks until I could entrust them to a carrier who would be crossing the border. I finally convinced my nephew who had been visiting New York to stuff them into his back-pack and rendezvous with the designer in Toronto for the drop-off. My friend saved $159.59 in combined federal and provincial taxes, and $187.26 in estimated customs charges.
Trump made the remarks after a G7 summit where he accused the world of using the United States as a “piggy bank that everybody is robbing.” Photos of the event show contentious interactions between the world leaders, including one in particular from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official Instagram account.
The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Trump how he could justify tariffs against Canada for “national security” purposes. Trump replied, “Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?”
Trump claimed that some imported vehicles and parts pose a national security threat. However, for as long as six months he delayed a decision on whether to impose tariffs to allow for more time for trade talks with the European Union and Japan.
The companies in question, aluminium giant US Rusal, En+ Group, and JSC EuroSibEnergo were partly owned by Oleg Deripaska, an ally to Russian President Putin. Deripaska has also been linked to Russian interference in US elections.
