Member
Trump Floats 80% Tariff On China Ahead of Key Trade Talks In Switzerland
Charlie Kirk Staff
05/09/2025
President Donald Trump signaled Friday that he supports a steep new tariff on Chinese goods, suggesting in a Truth Social post that “an 80% Tariff on China seems right!”
The statement came just ahead of a high-level meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials set to take place in Switzerland this weekend, Fox News reports.
Trump added that the final decision on the rate would be made by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!” the president also wrote in a separate post moments earlier.
The 80% figure is the first specific number Trump has publicly floated since previously indicating that the existing 145% tariff on China could be lowered. That tariff was imposed earlier in his current term as part of a broader effort to push back on what the administration has called unfair trade practices.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday, “That was a number the president threw out there, and we’ll see what happens this weekend,” referring to Trump’s online post. She clarified that any tariff reduction would require Chinese “concessions.”
Bessent, along with U.S. trade negotiator Jamieson Greer, is expected to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during the talks. Trump said Thursday that China “very much wants to make a deal,” noting that “Scott’s going to be going to Switzerland, meeting with China.”
In April, the administration enacted a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, while scaling back tariffs on other countries to a temporary baseline of 10% for 90 days. China responded by raising tariffs on American goods to 125%.
The developments come as Trump continues to press Beijing to open its markets further, making trade a central focus of his second-term agenda.
