Trump defends layoffs as necessary for America’s economic independence

In an interview with Time at the White House, President Donald Trump shared his views on a broad range of topics, from his trade policies to the state of the global economy, immigration, and US foreign relations.

The conversation delved into the economic impact of his administration's decisions, particularly the ongoing trade war, which Trump framed as necessary for the long-term strength and sustainability of the United States, Caliber.Az reports.

Addressing the recent wave of layoffs, which saw nearly 280,000 job cuts in March alone, Trump justified the tough measures as part of a broader strategy to make the country more efficient and self-sufficient.

“When the country gets down to bare knuckles, you're going to see something the likes of which this world has never seen before," Trump said.

"We're going to make our country strong, powerful, and very rich again. Right now, our country is not sustainable. We're being ripped off by everybody in the world, other countries, other people, other militaries, are ripping us off. We're protecting countries for no money or for very minimal money, and that wasn't supposed to happen. We're not supposed to be protecting everybody. We're supposed to be, number one, taking care of ourself, and number two, helping people when we can, helping outside people and outside countries where we can. But we've been ripped off by levels that you've never seen,” the president noted.

He pointed to various global players, including the European Union and China, as prime examples of how the US has been taken advantage of. According to Trump, these unfair economic practices have contributed to a situation where the US is bearing the cost of global defence and trade imbalances, which he argued is unsustainable.

President Trump further elaborated on his stance regarding foreign relations, explaining that the US has been "protecting countries for no money or for very minimal money." Trump criticized this as a dangerous approach, emphasizing that America's priority should be to secure its own interests first. He also stressed that many of America's so-called allies, including some European nations, have been taking advantage of the US, causing the country to lose billions in trade deficits.

Turning to his administration’s tariff strategy, Trump suggested that the US is set to make significant changes within a matter of weeks. "I’ll be finished," he declared, indicating that the ongoing trade measures would reach a turning point in the next three to four weeks. He clarified that some countries might return to renegotiate certain terms, but he remained resolute in his plan to shift the balance of trade and ensure that foreign entities pay their fair share.

In what appeared to be a glimpse into his broader economic vision, Trump touted the massive investments flowing into the US as a result of his tariffs.

“We have $7 trillion of new plants, factories, and other things, investment coming into the United States. And if you look back at past presidents, nobody was anywhere near that. And this is in three months," Trump said.

By Vafa Guliyeva