President Donald Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday he told Chinese President Xi Jinping the United States would be willing to be more lenient in a trade deal if his country helped out with its ally North Korea.
"I told him, I said, 'You know we're not going to let that [current trade deficit] go ahead,'" Trump said he told Xi at their meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate last week. "'But you want to make a great deal? Solve the problem in North Korea.' That's worth having deficits. And that's worth having not as good a trade deal as I would normally be able to make."
Trump said he also told Xi his administration would be willing to not label China a currency manipulator in a report this week, though he repeatedly promised to do so during his campaign.
Trump said earlier Wednesday he does not see China as a currency manipulator and "our dollar is getting too strong" because the American people have so much confidence in him.
As for America's own actions with North Korea's nuclear threat, Trump said a naval strike group heading to the area was meant to deter Pyongyang from further action. He said he told Xi in a telephone conversation Tuesday night to relay to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the United States has nuclear submarines to go along with its aircraft carriers.
"You cannot allow a country like that to have nuclear power, nuclear weapons," Trump said. "That's mass destruction. He doesn't have the delivery systems yet, but he will. In many ways, that's the easiest thing."
"The demographic most opposed to President Trump is not a racial minority, but a cultural elite." Daniel Greenberg
"Failure to adequately denounce Islamic extremism, not only denies the existence of an absolute moral wrong but inherently diminishes our chances of defeating it." Tulsi Gabbard
"It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will." Donald Trump's Victory Speech 11/9/16
INSIDE EVERY LIBERAL IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT -- Frontpage mag
"The demographic most opposed to President Trump is not a racial minority, but a cultural elite." Daniel Greenberg
"Failure to adequately denounce Islamic extremism, not only denies the existence of an absolute moral wrong but inherently diminishes our chances of defeating it." Tulsi Gabbard
"It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will." Donald Trump's Victory Speech 11/9/16
INSIDE EVERY LIBERAL IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT -- Frontpage mag