Steven Mnuchin wanted to warn China of new tariffs, but Donald Trump said no
- During tense meeting at White House, president concluded that US officials had come away with nothing at Shanghai trade talks
- Trump sent tweets announcing new 10 per cent levy on US$300 billion in Chinese goods while Mnuchin and Lighthizer were still in Oval Office
US President Donald Trump ruled out giving Beijing advance notice of his intent to slap a new 10 per cent tariff on US$300 billion in Chinese goods in an Oval Office meeting before he announced the duties, according to several people familiar with the discussion.
During the meeting, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer briefed Trump on their talks in Shanghai this week with their Chinese counterparts.
While the White House called the talks “constructive” in a statement issued on Wednesday, Trump concluded that the two US officials actually came away with nothing, the people said.
“When my people came home, they said ‘we’re talking, we have another meeting in early September’,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Thursday for a campaign rally. “I said ‘that’s fine, but in the meantime, until such time as there’s a deal, we’ll be taxing them.’”
Spokesmen for the Treasury and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mnuchin and Lighthizer knew the president was considering a new round of tariffs before they left for Shanghai, three of the people said. Trump has been unhappy about what the US views as Chinese backtracking on trade talks, and has recently said he believes Beijing may be trying to wait until after the presidential election in 2020 to conclude a deal.