Possibility of Tariff Suspension Raised
Widespread Social Hatred Began During Obama Era
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that trade negotiations with China are nearing a resolution and expressed his intention to continue the tariff "truce" between the two countries.
During his visit to the United Kingdom, President Trump held a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Buckinghamshire on the 18th (local time), where he said, "We are very close to an agreement between the United States and China."
He emphasized, "We may extend the suspension of high tariffs on China, and this extension would be based on the current conditions, which are very favorable."
The United States and China, after engaging in a tariff war, agreed at their first trade negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, last May to each lower their tariff rates by 115 percentage points. Since then, they have continued negotiations by extending this agreement in 90-day increments. The current suspension of tariffs is set to expire on November 10, but this means that even if negotiations with China are not concluded by then, the suspension could be extended.
Regarding the agreement with China on TikTok, President Trump said, "The United States will receive a substantial additional fee. I call this a fee for simply concluding the negotiations." The United States and China have basically agreed on a plan for an American company to acquire a majority stake in the video platform TikTok, currently owned by China's ByteDance. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to finalize this agreement in a phone call on the 19th. President Trump stated, "All the investors will be Americans," and added, "Very upright and very legitimate companies, companies that truly love America, will own TikTok."
President Trump also commented on Jimmy Kimmel, the main host of ABC's flagship late-night talk show, whose broadcast was indefinitely suspended following remarks about the assassination of U.S. right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Trump said, "Above all, he was fired because of poor ratings," and stressed, "Moreover, he made terrible remarks about Charlie Kirk, a great gentleman."
He continued, "Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. His ratings were very low, and they (ABC) should have fired him a long time ago. Whether you call it freedom of expression or not, he was fired due to a lack of talent."
On the September 15 broadcast, Kimmel said, "The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement is desperately trying to define the child who killed Charlie Kirk as someone other than one of their own, and they are doing everything they can to gain political advantage from it. We have reached a new low."
Kimmel also mocked President Trump's White House condolence remarks, saying, "This is how a four-year-old mourns the loss of a goldfish." Previously, President Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, "The Jimmy Kimmel show, which had been suffering from poor ratings, has been canceled. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what needed to be done."
In his opening statement at the press conference, President Trump said, "Last week, the great American Charlie Kirk was brutally assassinated simply for expressing his opinion." In a Fox News interview, Trump also said of Kirk, "He was a very charismatic person. I have never seen anyone who captivated young people like he did." He added, "I actually told him, 'Charlie, I think you have a great chance of becoming president someday.'"
When asked whether he believes national unity is the role of the president, President Trump replied, "The level of hatred across society is unbelievable. Perhaps it has always existed, but we just didn't realize it." He continued, "I saw it begin during President Obama's term (January 2009 to January 2017). It was tremendous hatred, at a level never seen before. Under Biden, the situation has become much worse."
He went on to say, "During my term (the first Trump administration), we achieved tremendous economic success," and added, "What I want to say is that success brings people together."
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