Trump imposed tariffs on nearly 200 billion USD of Chinese imports last month and then threatened more levies if China retaliated. China then hit back with tariffs on about 60 billion USD of US imports.

Trump said in a Fox News interview that China’s economy has gone down very substantially and he has a lot more he can do if he wants to do it. Trump said the Chinese want to negotiate but he does not believe they are ready yet. He blamed previous US presidents for allowing China to pursue unfair trade practices and said he had to tell Beijing, "It's over."