Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the nearly 60 countries slapped with tariffs by the Donald Trump administration to just “sit back, take it in” or risk escalation.
On Wednesday, Trump announced reciprocal baseline tariffs of 10% on all US trading partners and more targeted tariffs on many countries, including 34% on China, 46% on Vietnam and 32% on Taiwan.
In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier shortly after the announcement, Bessent told China and other countries that their best course of action is just to take it.
“Well, we will see what they do,” Bessent told Baier when the host asked about other countries, especially China, retaliating, according to a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“My advice to every country right now is do not retaliate,” he continued. “Sit back, take it in. Let’s see how it goes because if you retaliate, there will be escalation. If you don’t retaliate, this is the high water mark.”
Goods imported from China will now face a combined 54% tariff because Trump had already placed a 20% tariff on Chinese imports.
The US imports nearly $500 billion worth of goods from China every year, making it the third-largest source of foreign goods, according to NBC News. Among those expected to be hardest hit are big-box retailers who rely heavily on China for low-cost sourcing.
