Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
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What changes did Trump make regarding tariffs on China?
President Trump softens his stance when it comes to tariffs on China.
145% is very high, and it won't be that high. It's not going to be that high.
Will his change in tone amount to a change in policy? I'm Amy Martinez, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The Trump administration is pressuring Ukraine to accept a U.S.-backed peace deal, but a proposal to accept Russia's control of Crimea was a non-starter for the Ukrainian president. So President Trump attacked him on social media. Will the White House stay committed to the peace process?
And President Trump signed a sweeping list of executive actions targeting higher education and K-12 schools. They're meant to root out DEI and end foreign funding for college programs. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it, and it all comes really fast. But on All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we'll handpick what we think is the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open, and get your dose of new music from All Songs Considered, only from NPR. On The Indicator from Planet Money podcast, we're here to help you make sense of the economic news from Trump's tariffs. It's called in game theory a trigger strategy, or sometimes called grim trigger, which sort of has a cowboy-esque ring to it. To what exactly a sovereign wealth fund is. For insight every weekday, listen to NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money.
President Trump is singing a slightly different tune when it comes to tariffs on China.
Here he is speaking with reporters at the White House yesterday.
We are going to have a fair deal with China. It's going to be fair.
Is Trump's change in tone a shift in policy?
The president's high tariffs have sparked a trade war between the world's two largest economies. And while it's not clear Trump is actually changing policy yet, he is changing his tone.
To help us sort this out, we're joined now by NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid. Asma, good morning. Good morning. So what at this point is the White House saying about tariffs on China?
Well, this week, we've heard the president and some of his top economic advisors acknowledge that the high tariff rates are not a sustainable long-term dynamic. And, you know, just to remind folks where we are at this point, Beijing has a 125% tariff on American goods. This was, of course, in response to a 145% tariff rate that the Trump administration put on Chinese goods. On Tuesday, the president told reporters that that rate is going to come down substantially.
145% is very high, and it won't be that high. It's not going to be that high. It got up to there. We were talking about fentanyl where, you know, various elements built it up to 145. No, it won't be anywhere near that high.
No, he did not give an actual number. And frankly, even if the tariff rate comes down by double digits, you're still looking at rates that are unprecedented in our lifetime.
Does this really seem like a shift after all this kind of tit for tat, back and forth escalation around this?
Yeah, I mean, it is. And there's really two main reasons for the shift. This tariff rate, you know, if they remain in place, they would virtually bring trade between China and the U.S. to a halt. But this is also fundamentally, Michelle, about the stock market and the economic uncertainty that Trump's tariffs have created. You know, Trump initially acknowledged that there could be some sort of short-term economic pain, but that it would be worth it. And now you hear his team boasting that they're striking deals, that they're in conversation with some 90 countries. The Treasury Secretary was also out there this week trying to quiet market jitters.
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