the election. I’ve already done a lot of wall, for the election — 2020. And the only reason we’re up here talking about this is because of the election, because they want to try and win an election, which it looks like they’re not going to be able to do. And this is one of the ways they think they can possibly win, is by obstruction and a lot of other nonsense.
And I think that I just want to get it done faster, that’s all.
Okay. Yes, ma’am, go ahead.
Q Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q Roberta Rampton from Reuters. I wanted to ask about China. Do you feel that enough progress has been made in the talks to head off the increase in tariffs scheduled for March 1?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, you’re talking to the wrong person, because I happen to like tariffs, okay? I mean, we’re taking in billions and billions of dollars in tariffs from China. And our steel industry now, as an example, we tax dumped steel — much of it comes from China — at 25 percent. Our steel industry is so vibrant now again, they’re building plants all over the United States. It’s a beautiful thing. And from a defensive standpoint, and from any standpoint, you need steel.
You know, you can do without certain industries. Our country cannot do without steel.
So, I love tariffs, but I also love them to negotiate. And right now, China is paying us billions of dollars a year in tariffs. And I haven’t even started.
Now, here’s the thing: If we make a deal, they won’t have to pay. You know, it’ll be a whole different story. They won’t be paying that, but we’ll have a fair deal. There won’t be intellectual property theft. There won’t be so many other things that have gone on. And no other President has done this. No other — you know, we didn’t have a deal with China. You had the WTO, one of the worst trade deals ever made — probably even worse than NAFTA, if that’s believable, which, you know, hard to believe, because I think NAFTA was just a disaster. It was a total disaster for our country.
