US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects to discuss “almost everything” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting set for Sept. 24 at the White House, including trade and automobiles, while also addressing questions about Boeing, the war in Ukraine, Gaza, artificial intelligence (AI) and US defense production.
Speaking to reporters, Trump defended his administration’s tariffs on Chinese vehicles and said he had kept Chinese cars out of the US market.
“I’m the one that kept them out,” he said, pointing to tariffs ranging from 100% to 150%. He contrasted the US approach with Europe, which he said was being “decimated” by Chinese cars.
Asked whether he expected to reach an agreement with China involving its purchase of Boeing aircraft, Trump responded confidently: “I get every deal.”
Trump was also questioned about reports that Chinese entities may have provided Iran with satellite imagery of US and allied airbases in Jordan.
He said China engages in intelligence activities similar to those carried out by the US.
“They do what we do,” he said. “When they say that China spies on us, I say, you’re right, and we spy on them too.”
Ukrainian strikes driving up diesel prices
Turning to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said he had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to target Russian diesel refineries, arguing that attacks on the facilities were contributing to higher fuel prices.
“The problem I have with Ukraine and Russia is that … diesel oil comes from Russia,” Trump said, adding that Ukrainian attacks on Russian plants were making it more difficult for the fuel to reach global markets.
Trump said the situation was “a case that hurts the world” and stressed the need to stop the escalation.
Asked whether the Ukraine war could end sooner than other conflicts, he did not give a specific timeline.
Trump hails Gaza negotiators
Trump also praised CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their roles in US diplomatic efforts, citing the Gaza conflict as an example of successful negotiations.
“Look at Gaza as an example,” he said. “Look at the fact we got all the hostages back.”
He said fighting in Gaza had significantly decreased and claimed that Hamas was now willing to give up its weapons.
“They’ve done an incredible job. Nobody could have done the job,” he said of the US negotiating team.
-US expanding Patriot missile production
Trump said the US is rapidly rebuilding its stockpile of weapons after providing significant military assistance to Ukraine.
“We’re making more Patriots than we’ve ever made,” he said, referring to the Patriot air-defense system.
He said new production facilities were being established and that US manufacturers were working to increase output of Patriot missiles and other weapons, including Tomahawk missiles.
Trump said the US has a large weapons stockpile but underscored that significant quantities of some systems had already been supplied to Ukraine.
Trump hails lasers as future of defense
Trump also discussed emerging military technologies, including laser weapons and advanced gun systems.
He said laser weapons could eventually provide a cheaper alternative to conventional missile interceptors.
“The laser is going to be the future,” he said, noting that the systems are already effective against certain types of slower-moving missiles.
Trump said the cost of operating a laser once the necessary equipment is in place is extremely low compared with firing expensive interceptor missiles.
Trump calls Canada ‘very difficult’ to deal with
Asked about Canada, Trump repeated his criticism of the country's leadership while distinguishing between the government and Canadian citizens.
“I find Canada to be the worst country to deal with,” he said, describing it as the “most difficult country” for negotiations.
Trump stressed that Canadian leaders were difficult to negotiate with while praising the Canadian people as “fantastic.”
He also warned that additional tariffs were coming, highlighting automobile tariffs scheduled for Jan. 1.
US leading in AI
Trump also addressed growing concerns about artificial intelligence, saying he believes that AI will ultimately bring substantially more benefits than harm.
“It’s going to be more good than bad," he said.
He reiterated his belief that the country that leads in AI will have a major strategic advantage.
“Whoever wins AI wins,” he said, adding that he believes the United States is currently leading by a significant margin.
Trump backs flock cameras for law enforcement
Trump also expressed support for the use of automated license-plate recognition cameras, commonly known as Flock cameras, saying they can help law enforcement catch criminals.
While acknowledging concerns that the technology could infringe on privacy, he said he generally supports its use.
