Some may view it as underestimating President Donald Trump’s authority, but the president is saying it is “one mistake.”
That mistake is on the part of Democrats regarding the ongoing government shutdown.
“I think they could just stay out forever, I mean, to be honest with you. Now, what we’re doing is we’re cutting Democrat programs that we didn’t want because… I mean, they made one mistake. They didn’t realize that that gives me the right to cut programs that Republicans never wanted,” Trump said to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“You know, giveaways, welfare programs, et cetera. And we’re doing that, and we’re cutting them permanently,” Trump added.
Bartiromo asked Trump about the upcoming “No Kings” rallies.
“Do you think that the government shutdown is all about this rally that’s happening this weekend, the ‘No Kings’ rally?” she asked.
“I mean, some people say they want to delay it for that. This is not a king, you know, they’re saying, they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in response.
“No, but just so that Chuck Schumer could go and say, ‘I’m fighting Trump,'” Bartiromo said.
“Well, Chuck is, you know, at the end of the line. He’s being beaten by everybody that they poll against him,” Trump said. “And you know what he did is he did the right thing a couple of years ago on something like this. And he got hurt by his party. And it doesn’t… I don’t think it matters to him. I think he’s just so dead that he’ll do anything.”
“We’re cutting a $20 billion project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get, and I’m cutting the project. The project is gonna be dead. It’s just pretty much dead right now,” Trump continued.
That project is the Gateway Project, which is plans for a new train tunnel under the Hudson River that would connect New Jersey and New York.
Not long into the shutdown, the Trump administration said it was freezing billions of dollars for the tunnel. It also froze funds for the extension of New York City’s Second Avenue Subway.
The topic them turned to the Chinese and trade.
Trump wrote on Truth Social last week, “It has just been learned that China has taken an extraordinarily aggressive position on Trade in sending an extremely hostile letter to the World, stating that they were going to, effective November 1st, 2025, impose large scale Export Controls on virtually every product they make, and some not even made by them.”
“Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only for the U.S.A., and not other Nations who were similarly threatened, starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” Trump wrote.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics has said the average U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports is now 57.6%. This means the new tariffs would be about 157%.
Bartiromo asked Trump if that number could stand.
“It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is. It’s probably not, you know, it could stand, but they forced me to do that,” Trump said.
“We’ll see what happens with China. I’ve always had a great relationship with [Chinese President Xi Jinping], as you know, but they are always looking for an edge,” Trump continued.
“We are going to meet in a couple weeks, we are going to meet in South Korea actually with President Xi and other people too,” he said. “We have to have a fair deal, it’s got to be fair.”
“We have a very strong adversary, and they only respect strength, they really do,” Trump said.
