The brewing trade war between the U.S. and China has brought significant pressure on the Trump White House to back down from tariffs announced last month.

But while China is portraying itself as the stronger-willed of the two nations, many U.S. politicians say America is much better suited to play the long game.

For his part, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) offered his take on the Chinese government’s claims that the nation’s economy is growing by leaps and bounds despite the tariff turmoil.

According to the Daily Caller:

“I’ll bet you a soda and a nice hat [that] China’s economy is not growing at more than 2%,” Kennedy said. “They say 5%, but they lie like they breathe. But we’re going to have to wait them out. It’ll be painful for us, but it’s going to be even more painful for them, and I’ll say it again. Their economy is weak as rainwater. Our economy is in a much better shape than theirs is.”

ADVERTISEMENT

President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs via an April 9 post on Truth Social that also announced substantial increases on tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States, a week after he initially unveiled the duties on imports. In an April 2 executive order, Trump also ended the “de minimis” exception for packages shipped directly from China, slapping a tariff of $25 or 30%.

“Trusting China to do anything other than what is in their best interest is naive and inconsistent with history and common sense,” Kennedy said. “The Chinese government cheats. They do. They can steal socks without taking your shoes off. But they need America. They buy from us, or they sell us about four to five times more than we sell them. That’s why, ultimately, we will win in a trade war. Having said that, I hope that Xi Jinping and China has more sense than God gave a goose and [will] step up and call the president and say ‘Let’s work something out.’”

The Trump administration has released several statements in recent days about the progress in trade negotiations with China:

Here’s a full transcript of the post above:

Trump’s tariffs on China are bringing in vast sums of money every single day.

Before he had the cojones to do this, we were losing badly every year on trade from a multitude of countries.

We were getting swindled. It was not sustainable.

America’s future was obviously in decline, but now 47 is instigating a seismic shift for future generations.

He is now bringing manufacturing back into the country, which will clearly cause the economy to boom and give citizens well-needed jobs.

ADVERTISEMENT

How can anyone who lives in America and cares for her future not approve of what he is doing?

Only the media, the true enemy of the people, would have you believe that this temporary discomfort is a negative thing.

Look clearly at the big picture, and you will see that America’s future is bright.

Here’s what CNN reported about the upcoming trade talks:

The trade talks, the first in-person meeting between Chinese and American officials since the tit-for-tat tariff escalation kicked off in earnest in March, are unlikely to result in a trade deal, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday. But tariffs have reached such a high level that trade between the two countries has dropped off dramatically. Any thaw in the trade war could be a welcome sign for businesses and consumers in both countries and around the globe.

“The main objective of this meeting is to establish the conditions for a deal to be reached, including by defining what is feasible to be agreed upon and what isn’t,” said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of the Conference Board’s China Center. “There might be some quick wins, like a temporal pause of tariffs, which would bring much needed relief to businesses from both countries.”

The United States has placed at least a 145% tariff on most Chinese imports, and China has responded with a 125% tariff on some US imports. The last tariff-free ships — those on the water when the tariffs were announced — have almost all docked, and the first ships with goods that will be subject to tariffs are arriving at the ports.

Here’s some additional coverage:

And here’s a clip of Kennedy’s recent remarks:

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.