Trump doubles down on trade war with China and insists Americans ‘signed up for this’

Donald Trump doubled down on his economic policies after being challenged over his ongoing trade war with China, insisting that voters “signed up for it.”

The president also denied that there would be tough economic periods for Americans, saying instead that he believed “great times” were ahead.

Speaking to ABC News for an interview to mark his first 100 days back in office, Trump was questioned about the economy, one of the biggest issues that he had campaigned on.

Analysts have predicted that due to economic uncertainty caused by the sweeping global tariffs announced on April 2, American families may be paying thousands more dollars per year.

“There is a lot of concern out there,” ABC’s Terry Moran told him. “People are worried, even some people who voted for you, saying, ‘I didn't sign up for this.’ So, how do you answer those concerns?”

“Well, they did sign up for it, actually,” Trump replied. “And this is what I campaigned on. I said that we've been abused by other countries at levels that nobody's ever seen before.”

Social media users were quick to react with outrage over the remarks, with some accusing the president of having “zero empathy.”

“This isn’t leadership, it’s hostage taking. ‘You voted for me, so deal with it’,” wrote one user on X.

But others couldn’t help but agree, in a tongue-in-cheek way. “This may be the only truthful thing he’s said in his first 100 days. There is nothing he’s doing that wasn’t telegraphed beforehand. His voters did indeed sign up for this,” wrote another user.

Back in the ABC interview, Trump defended his record. “We were losing three to five billion a day on trade. We were losing a trillion and a half to two trillion a year – not sustainable. They were taking advantage of us like that,” he said.

He added: “I could have left it that way, and at some point that would have been an implosion like nobody's ever seen. But I said, No, we have to fix it. I've wanted to do this for many years. You know, I had the best economy during my first term.”

According to a recent poll by Reuters/ Ipsos, the percentage of Americans who approve of Trump's economic stewardship has declined by one percentage point to 36 percent, the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency

Disapproval in Trump’s handling of the economy, compared to his first presidency, rose 5 points to 56 percent.

Fears of a recession have surged in recent weeks after Trump’s global trade war, hiking tariffs so high that economists warn that trade with some countries – including China – could grind nearly to a halt, with the move shaking investors and companies.

However, during his ABC interview, Trump remained resolute and confident. "Are hard times ahead?" Moran asked him.

"I don't think so, I think great times are ahead,” the president replied.