U.S. President Donald Trump on the 6th (local time) commented on the sharp decline in the U.S. stock market following the tariff announcement, stating, "Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something," affirming his intention to maintain the tariff policy.
Trump emphasized, while meeting with reporters on his private plane traveling from Florida to Washington, D.C., that "the U.S. can no longer tolerate a trade deficit of $1.9 trillion" and that he will address the trade imbalances with China, the European Union (EU), and other countries.
He noted, "The trade deficit with China alone amounts to $1 trillion," stating, "I will not negotiate until this is resolved." Concerning reports that negotiations over acquiring equity in TikTok's U.S. operations fell through due to tariff issues, he said, "That's generally accurate" and called it an example of "how powerful a tool tariffs are."
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, expressed a negative stance on the proposed duty-free initiative between the U.S. and the EU, stating, "Europe has gained a lot from the U.S. but treated us very poorly."
Regarding market reactions, he said, "Stock prices may fall, even if we don’t want them to," but also stated, "The U.S. will become stronger and will ultimately be the most powerful economy in the world."
Regarding concerns about inflation due to tariffs, he dismissed them, saying, "During my first term, there was no inflation from the public tariffs," and added, "This time too it won't be a major problem."
Through his social media, Trump claimed, "The only way to solve the trade deficit is through tariffs," stating that "tariffs will bring billions of dollars to the U.S."