Trump reveals real reason that pushed him to slap 39% tariffs on Swiss products

US President Donald Trump has disclosed new details about a phone call with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter that he says prompted him to significantly raise import tariffs on Swiss goods last year.

Trump recounted what he described as a tense exchange over trade imbalances and US duties in an exclusive interview with Fox News, as Caliber.Az cites. 

He portrayed Keller-Sutter — whom he mistakenly referred to as Switzerland’s Prime Minister — as “very aggressive, but nice,” saying she repeatedly argued that Switzerland was too small to absorb the steep tariffs initially imposed by his administration, which exceeded 15%.

According to Trump, the tone of the conversation reinforced his decision not only to maintain the levy but to increase it.

“I didn’t really like the way she talked to us," Trump said during the interview.

“So instead of giving her a reduction, I raised it to 39 per cent."

Trump went on to outline his broader criticism of Swiss-US trade relations, claiming that Switzerland had enjoyed minimal duties while the United States faced a substantial trade deficit.

“They were paying no tariffs, sending stuff over here, as nobody could believe. And we had a $42 billion deficit. And we weren’t taking anything."

He said he felt compelled to address the imbalance, even if not all at once.

“I said, well, we have to do something because we have to even that up a little bit. I didn’t have to get everything at one time," he said, noting that he initially imposed a 30 per cent tariff.

Describing that level as “very low,” Trump argued it reduced the deficit by roughly half but did not eliminate it.

After the tariff was raised to 39 per cent, Trump said he was inundated with calls and messages from Swiss officials and business leaders urging reconsideration. He expanded his criticism beyond Switzerland.

“They’re only that way because we allow them to rip us off and make all this money," he said, calling the Alpine nation “ultra-chic, ultra-perfect," before adding, “I could say the same thing with another 40 countries. Some are much more egregious."

Trump said he later agreed to lower the tariff rate to 15 per cent — in effect since December 2025 — following pressure from several Swiss companies, including Rolex, which joined a Swiss state delegation to Washington last year. He cautioned, however, that the rate could rise again in the future.

By Nazrin Sadigova