President Donald Trump said on Sunday night that he is not intentionally causing the recent stock market sell-off, despite continued drops in U.S. stock futures and mounting concerns on Wall Street. His comments come amid growing fears that his tariff strategy, especially with China, may be adding pressure to the markets.
“Sometimes You Have to Take Medicine”
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he doesn’t want to see markets fall but believes that short-term pain may be necessary to fix long-standing problems.
“I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” Trump explained.
The comments came as Dow Jones futures dropped 4.1% Sunday evening, continuing losses from Thursday and Friday. Markets were already reacting negatively to news of escalating trade tensions.
Tariffs on China at the Center of the Debate
Trump defended his decision to move forward with tariffs on Chinese goods, citing the country’s significant trade surplus with the U.S.
“We have a trillion-dollar trade deficit with China, hundreds of billions of dollars a year we lose with China,” Trump said. “And unless we solve that problem, I’m not going to make a deal.”
He added that he’s willing to negotiate with China, but emphasized that Beijing needs to address its trade surplus before a deal can be reached.
Trump Shares Viral Video Amid Stock Slide
Interestingly, Trump recently shared a video on his Truth Social account that claimed the current market decline was intentional and tied to his broader economic strategy. The video originally appeared on TikTok in March and was reshared by Trump on April 4, two days after his tariffs announcement.
Though he denied trying to crash the markets on purpose, the repost of that video raised eyebrows and fueled speculation online.
White House Officials Stand by Trade Plans
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett both spoke out on Sunday, reiterating that the administration is standing firm on its reciprocal tariffs strategy. They insisted that the stock market turbulence is not part of a deliberate plan, but a side effect of much-needed trade adjustments.
Trump also said he spoke with European and Asian leaders over the weekend regarding the tariffs, which are expected to take effect this coming week.