Trump: "There Won't Be Many Exceptions to Reciprocal Tariffs... Friends Are Worse Than Enemies"

"Russia is dragging its feet on Ukraine ceasefire agreement"
Military operation discussed in chat room: "No confidential information"
"Musk is a patriot... He never made requests to me"

Ahead of the announcement of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that "there will not be too many exceptions." While allowing some exceptions, he maintained the stance of reciprocating equally against countries that have imposed tariff or non-tariff barriers on the United States.

On the 25th (local time), President Trump said in an interview with the conservative media Newsmax at the White House, "I don't want to allow too many exceptions. We have been deceived by other countries for 45 years."

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

He stated, "We have been nationally deceived in a way never seen before. That's why we have accumulated $36 trillion (about 52,801 trillion won) in debt," adding, "And it's time to get that money back. We could not let this continue."

President Trump's tariffs target not only China, which has been hostile so far, but also traditional allies extensively. Regarding this, he emphasized, "So-called friends have often been worse than enemies," and said, "Look at the European Union (EU). See how they have damaged this country."

Regarding reciprocal tariffs, President Trump said, "We will achieve tremendous success," adding, "China, India, Brazil, and many other places have been doing this to us for years. So we will just do it reciprocally." He continued, "In fact, I might be more generous than just reciprocal," explaining, "Because if I were strictly reciprocal, many people would be in a lot of trouble."

Regarding individual negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, he pointed out the possibility that Russia is avoiding a ceasefire agreement. President Trump said, "I think Russia wants an end to the war, but they might be dragging their feet." He added, "But at this point, it seems Russia wants to see the war end, and I think Zelensky (President of Ukraine) also wants to see the war end at this point."

Regarding the incident where administration security officials discussed plans for airstrikes against Houthi rebels in a private messenger 'Signal' chat room and accidentally exposed it to the media, he said, "As far as I know, it was not classified. There was no confidential information," adding, "There was no problem, and the attack was tremendously successful."

About Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and a close aide leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he praised him as a "great patriot." He added, "He has never asked me for anything," giving an example, "For instance, I abolished the electric vehicle mandate. But he never came to me and said, 'Please don't do that.'" This appears to be a remark conscious of recent controversies over conflicts of interest between Musk's business and the Department of Government Efficiency's work.

Regarding recent arson and shooting attacks targeting Tesla vehicles, stores, and charging stations, he linked them to his legal battles, claiming, "I believe that is part of it. I think some of the people involved in my trial are related to (the Tesla attacks)."