White House reverses Trump’s ‘second thoughts’ on tariffs

President Trump acknowledged Sunday having second thoughts about escalating a trade war with China, but the White House later reversed, saying that his only regret in hiking tariffs is that he didn’t raise them higher.

Trump faced a tense reception over the weekend from his counterparts at the Group of Seven summit in France.

He suggested during a breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that he harbored qualms about the spiraling conflict. “Yeah. For sure,” he told reporters when asked whether he had any second thoughts about ramping up tariffs on China after Beijing imposed new tariffs to retaliate against earlier tariff moves by the U.S.

Then hours later, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying the news media had “greatly misinterpreted” Trump’s response. Grisham said the president only responded “in the affirmative — because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher.”

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow offered a different explanation when interviewed Sunday by CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying Trump “didn’t quite hear the question.” Reporters asked Trump about regret three times in succession.

Trump’s admission appeared at first to mark a rare moment of self-reflection by the famously hard-nosed leader, and the later reversal fit a pattern of Trump recoiling from statements he believes suggest weakness.

Trump responded to China’s announcement Friday that it would slap new tariffs on American goods with more tariffs of his own. Trump also issued an extraordinary threat to declare a national emergency in an attempt to force U.S. businesses to cut ties with China.