Trump: "We Will Not Address Military Matters"... Tariffs and Defense Costs to Be Discussed Separately

Suggests 'Two-Track' Approach to Defense Cost Negotiations
No Mention of Defense Costs at U.S.-Korea 2+2 Trade Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump stated, "We will not address military matters in any negotiations," and clarified that defense costs and tariffs will be discussed separately in negotiations with countries such as South Korea.

Yonhap News Agency

According to AP and other foreign media outlets on April 24 (local time), President Trump claimed at a White House press conference that day, "The United States has been exploited for 45 or 50 years in a way that no other country in world history has ever experienced" regarding tariff negotiations.

He went on to emphasize, "Other countries have become wealthy through the United States," and added, "We have taken care of their militaries."

President Trump stated, "There are countries that we have essentially taken care of, yet we do not receive fair treatment in trade," adding, "The military is another subject for us to discuss, and we will not address this subject in any negotiations."

President Trump's remarks that tariff negotiations and military matters are separate suggest that future negotiations on tariffs and defense costs could proceed independently of each other.

Earlier the same day, during the U.S.-Korea 2+2 trade talks attended by Choi Sangmok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Ahn Deokgeun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer, the United States did not raise the issue of defense cost-sharing for U.S. Forces Korea.

In contrast, President Trump reportedly told Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Minister for Economic Revitalization and the official in charge of tariffs, during a meeting at the White House on April 16, that Japan's share of the costs for stationing U.S. Forces Japan was too low.