Trump first revealed that US and Chinese teams are discussing an agreement on tariffs and that he believes that an agreement could be reached in the next three or four weeks.
Pressing by Rachel Scott of ABC News and other reporters, Trump did not say if he had talked directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Asked by Scott if Xi had communicated with Trump to start a conversation, Trump replied: “Well, you think it was quite obvious that he has done it, but we will talk about that soon. It’s not so important because honestly, we will have an agreement. I think we are going to have an agreement with China,” Trump said. “And if we do not, we will have a deal anyway because we are going to establish a certain goal and that will be everything.”
President Donald Trump talks to journalists after signing a proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House, on April 17, 2025 in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
When asked if the Chinese have communicated since Trump raised the reprisal rate against China to 145%, Trump said: “A lot, I mean, a lot. All the time, we are talking.”
When asked if he had spoken with his Chinese counterpart, Trump said: “I don’t want to say that .- It is simply not appropriate.”
But when he was pressed, he got obfusted when asked if he had really talked to his counterpart.
“I mean, I have never said if they have happened or not, but I have a very good relationship with President XI, and I think he will continue. And I would say they have arrived several times,” Trump said.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Fritz Farrow and Michelle Stoddart
