Trump’s tariff playbook comes with a baseball twist
First Lady Melania Trump (C), on July 4, 2025, during the military family picnic on the southern grass of the White House in Washington, the US President Donald Trump, while wearing a maga hat before the greeting of their families.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Say what you love about US President Donald Trump’s leadership style and policies, but there is a way with words.
As Trump’s love for an agreement and the real estate boss, his old career is well known, the great president frequently speeches and his interviews with work -related terminology. Now, while discussing the latest trade agreements with the US global trade partners, he is turning to the sports world to inspire.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, the president likened his investment of billions of dollars worth of dollars worth by Washington as part of his latest trade agreements – the baseball players often joined new teams to the “signature bonus” baseball players.
“We buy trillions of dollars, Tr Trump said, CNBC’s” Squawk Box “,” They love people who love tariffs, they love trade agreements and foreign countries no longer break us. “
“If you look at Japan, we get 550 billion dollars and this is like a signature bonus of a baseball player. It would take a little less than that … But today they give a million dollars or 2 million dollars or no matter what today.” He said.
“That’s why I got a signature bonus of 550 billion dollars from Japan. This is our money. It is our money to invest as we want.” He also noted that the European Union promised to invest in both the United States and to purchase American energy worth $ 750 billion.
In late July, the EU and the US announced a trade agreement with an agreement that reduced import tariffs to 15%. In addition, Washington said that the EU will “buy $ 750 billion from the US Energy and make new investments of $ 600 billion in the US by 2028”.
However, there was no other information about the promised investment. When CNBC anchors demand more clarity on Tuesday, Trump said, “Details to invest in everything, everything I want, I can do anything I want with it,” Trump said.
When asked what will happen if the investments do not come, Trump said, “Well, then they pay 35%tariff. No, no. They have dropped their tariffs.”
Speaking as anecdote, the White House leader said that representatives of other nations ask why the EU received a lower tax.
“And I said, ‘Well, because [the EU] He gave me $ 600 billion. ‘And it’s a gift – it’s not a credit. There’s nothing to pay back. They gave 600 billion dollars to invest in everything we want. “
Similarly, the US trade agreement with Tokyo precisely stated “Japan will invest by the United States to invest 550 billion dollars to rebuild and expand core American industries.”
The White House said the energy infrastructure and production of funds, semiconductor production, critical mineral mining, pharmaceutical production and commercial and defense ships, because it tries to reduce the confidence in foreign goods, materials and suppliers of the United States, “America’s strategic industrial base” will be targeted to be targeted.
