White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivers press briefing on April 8, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday touted the economic success of President Trump’s tariffs, which are making world leaders line up to renegotiate their trade policies and stop ripping off the American people.
Tariffs on trade partners, including 104% tariffs against China, will go into effect tonight at midnight after they retaliated against discounted reciprocal tariffs, and President Trump punched back hard.
As of Sunday, over 50 countries had come to the negotiating table after the President announced his 10% baseline and higher reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday. Now, as many as 70 countries have contacted the White House asking for a meeting.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump announced that President Trump had spoken to the Japanese Prime Minister on Monday morning, and that Japan’s “top team” of negotiators would be meeting with U.S. officials to strike a new tariff agreement.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who, along with U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer, has been tasked with leading tariff negotiations with Japan and other countries, revealed on Monday in an interview with Fox’s Larry Kudlow that “almost 70 countries” have approached the White House.
He added, “President Trump, again, gave himself maximum negotiating leverage, and just when he achieved the maximum leverage, he’s ready to start talking.”
Watch below:
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Leavitt highlighted this development while outlining the President’s agenda to produce goods in America and stand up to other countries that have been hindering American industry for decades. “The President’s message has been simple and consistent from the beginning: To countries around the world, bring us your best offers, and he will listen. Deals will only be made if they benefit American workers and address our nation’s crippling trade deficits,” Leavitt said. “The jig is up.”
Watch:
Leavitt: In total, since the Liberation Day announcement, nearly 70 countries have already reached out to the president to begin a negotiation. Countries are falling over themselves to reform their unfair trade practices and free open their markets to our country. Why? Because these countries greatly respect President Trump and the sheer power of the American market. These countries realize they’ve gotten filthy rich over the past few decades by imposing substantial tariffs on American made products and ridiculous non-monetary barriers to block out American industry. The jig is up.
Past American presidents sat by and let this happen, but President Trump stood up for our country, and he is saying no more. The President’s message has been simple and consistent from the beginning: To countries around the world, bring us your best offers, and he will listen. Deals will only be made if they benefit American workers and address our nation’s crippling trade deficits. America does not need other countries as much as other countries need us, and President Trump knows this. He’s going to use the leverage of our markets and our country to the advantage of the people he was sworn in to represent. On the other hand, countries like China, who have chosen to retaliate and try to double down on their mistreatment of American workers are making a mistake.
President Trump has a spine of steel, and he will not break, and America will not break under his leadership. He is guided by a firm belief that America must be able to produce essential goods for our own people and export them to the rest of the world. A strong America cannot be solely dependent on foreign countries for our food, medicines and critical minerals, and America must always maintain a robust defense supply chain. Reprioritizing and strengthening our manufacturing industry are essential national and economic security issues of the utmost importance to President Trump.
Leavitt, responding to a question about tariffs against impoverished countries, later told reporters, “The president will talk to any country that picks up the phone to call, and I can tell you, the phones have been ringing off the hook, wanting to talk to this administration, this President, and his trade team to try to strike a deal.”
She continued, “The world knows that they need the United States of America. They need our markets. They need our consumer. The President has a lot of leverage on his side, because he has the best economy and the best country in the world that he leads, and he knows that.”
“And it’s about dang time we finally have a president who uses that economic leverage to benefit American workers, and that’s what the President is trying to do.”
WATCH:
The post Up to 70 countries Have Contacted White House Since Tariff Announcement – Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Says “Countries are Falling Over Themselves to Reform Their Unfair Trade Practices” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.