World

"Sometimes you need medicine to solve a problem." Trump

US President Donald Trump has said he will not lift high tariffs on foreign goods until those countries balance their trade with the US.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he did not want to see markets crash but added that he was not concerned about the current state of the markets. “Sometimes you need medicine to solve a problem,” he said.

The remarks came as global financial markets were poised to start trading lower again on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump’s team sought to calm markets by saying more than 50 countries had already reached out to negotiate tariffs.

“I’ve spoken to many leaders, Europeans, and Asians all over the world. They’re ready to make a deal. I told them I won’t have a trade deficit with your countries. We won’t do that because a deficit is a loss to me. We want balanced trade or at least zero,” Trump said.