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| ▲ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Jan. 29, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap) |
Trump-tariffs
Trump says tariffs could be 'much steeper,' claims U.S. has been 'very nice'
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump warned Thursday that tariffs on trading partners could be "much steeper," while claiming that his administration has been "very nice" in its implementation of his tariff policy.
Trump made the remarks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House amid uncertainty over the future of country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs that he has imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as the Supreme Court weighs their legality.
"The tariffs are very ... you know ... steep. They could be much steeper," Trump said.
"We've been actually very nice about it, but even being nice about it, we've taken in hundreds of billions of dollars," he added.
He repeated his claim that due to tariffs, the U.S. has secured "tremendous" national security and strength.
He also said that people challenging the tariffs are "China-centric."
"These are people that are China (centric), but they are also outside of the United States. These are countries that have ripped us off for years and years, charging us tariffs," he said.
The high court is expected to hand down its ruling on the IEEPA-based tariffs in the coming months. A ruling against them could set off calls for tariff refunds, but the Trump administration is expected to seek workarounds or other legal measures to maintain its tariff policy.
The court's deliberations do not concern other types of Trump's tariffs, such as sector-wide tariffs on autos and other items.
Trump has been leveraging tariffs to reduce U.S. trade deficits, increase federal revenue and boost foreign investments and domestic manufacturing.
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