President Donald Trump has signaled a potential softening in his administration’s hardline tariff stance against China, citing concerns that escalating duties could ultimately hurt trade and limit consumer demand. Trump’s remarks, delivered during an Oval Office interaction with reporters on Thursday, come as speculation grows over renewed efforts between Washington and Beijing to reach a comprehensive trade agreement.
The US-China trade war — now in its most intense phase, with American tariffs on Chinese goods reaching a combined 145 percent and Beijing retaliating with 125 percent on US imports — remains a pivotal issue in global markets. Yet Trump’s latest comments suggest a willingness to negotiate.
“I May Not Want Them to Go Higher,” Says Trump
Speaking candidly, Trump acknowledged that Chinese officials — whom he believes to be acting on behalf of President Xi Jinping — have made several overtures aimed at restarting trade discussions.
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and I think it’s going to continue. And I would say they have reached out a number of times,” Trump told reporters.
Pressed on whether he had spoken directly to Xi or if the outreach came through intermediaries, Trump replied: “Well, the same. I view it very similar. It would be top levels of China.”
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Trump praised Xi’s leadership, calling him “very tight, very strong, very smart” — a comment seen by analysts as a strategic softening of tone designed to smooth the path for negotiations.
Trade War’s Economic Impact at Center of Debate
The trade standoff, initiated under Trump’s first term and intensified in recent months, has battered sectors ranging from technology and manufacturing to agriculture. Amid growing concerns about its impact on US consumers and businesses, Trump hinted at an openness to recalibrate the tariffs: “At a certain point I don’t want them to go higher because at a certain point you make it where people don’t buy. So I may not want to go higher, or I may not want to even go up to that level. I may want to go to less because, you know, you want people to buy.”
Despite the tough rhetoric from both sides, Trump expressed optimism that a “very good trade deal” could soon emerge, especially with the TikTok controversy also factoring into negotiations.
TikTok Deal Hinges on Trade Talks
The President also addressed the future of TikTok’s US operations, suggesting that the social media app’s fate could be tied to the broader trade talks. “Well, we have a deal for TikTok, but it’ll be subject to China, so we’ll just delay the deal till this thing works out,” Trump said.
The proposed deal involves ByteDance Ltd. — TikTok’s parent company — divesting its US assets to an American consortium, a move aimed at resolving long-standing security concerns raised by US regulators.
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Trump added that China stands to benefit from finalizing the deal, noting: “TikTok is good for China. And I think they’d like to see us do a deal, especially the deal that we have pretty much done with some of the best companies in the world.”
When asked whether tariff levels would be part of the final TikTok-related discussions, Trump left the door open: “It’s a natural — if we’re making a deal. I guess we’ll spend five minutes to talk about TikTok. It wouldn’t take very long.”
Outlook: Will US-China Tensions Ease?
Despite mutual tariffs and geopolitical friction, the latest signals from Trump suggest that both sides are quietly preparing to return to the negotiation table. Whether the outcome leads to a rollback of tariffs or a TikTok ownership resolution remains to be seen, but the stakes are high for both global trade stability and the digital economy.
