Fox News interview comes ahead of midterm elections; Trump also says no Iran strike Monday, trilateral peace talks 'coming soon'

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Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Michigan on Sunday (local time). [AP]
Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Michigan on Sunday (local time). [AP]

President Donald Trump said he could raise tariffs to as high as 50% on companies investing in the United States if he determines they are trying to take advantage of the country.

Speaking in a Fox News interview Sunday (local time), Trump said the American auto industry had been eaten into by Japan, South Korea and China, but said companies were coming back. "I'm getting them all back. They're coming back because they don't want to pay the 25% tariff," he said.

Trump added: "Frankly, I've kept it low. If they come in and try to take advantage, I could raise the tariff to 50%."

The remarks are widely seen as less a signal of imminent action than an effort to underscore his commitment to protecting American industry through tariffs, with midterm elections now just days away.

Trump did not elaborate on specific cases of companies investing in the US while allegedly exploiting the country.

On Iran, Trump said in the same interview that a decision had to be made. "You have to make a decision — do you finish it, which is a very easy thing to do, or do you make a deal?" he said.

The comments were interpreted as a move to keep the option of a high-intensity military strike on the table while pressing Tehran toward a deal, and to manage the situation so Iran does not take any provocative action ahead of the midterm elections.

Later, when reporters at the White House asked whether a strike on Iran was imminent, Trump declined to say. "I won't tell you that. There will be no attack today," he said.

Trump had said Friday that military action against Iran remained an option. Analysts believe he is likely to hold off on any strike before the midterms to avoid rattling oil prices, but concerns remain that a limited airstrike could follow afterward.

On the prospect of trilateral negotiations among the United States, Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace settlement, Trump said the talks were "coming soon," without specifying a timeline.

After the Fox News interview, Trump turned on the network itself, accusing it of failing to cover Republican candidates favorably ahead of the elections.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Fox News was "giving too much time to the competition of Republican candidates," adding that Republican candidates were being "totally blacked out by the media and Fox News isn't doing much about it." "The reason this race is close, if it is indeed close, is because of that, and only that," he said.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com