MORRISTOWN, New Jersey, May 25 (Reuters) - U.S.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday his tariff policy was
aimed at promoting the domestic manufacturing of tanks and
technology products, not sneakers and T-shirts.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in New
Jersey, Trump said he agreed with comments from Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent on April 29 that the U.S. does not
necessarily need a "booming textile industry" - comments that
drew criticism from the National Council of Textile
Organizations.
"We're not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to
make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to
do the AI thing with computers," Trump said.
"I'm not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I'm not
looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other
locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of
other things, and tanks and ships," Trump said.
Trump, who has upended world markets with the broad
imposition of tariffs, revived his harsh trade rhetoric on
Friday when he pushed for a 50% tariff on European Union goods
starting June 1 and warned Apple ( AAPL ) he may impose a 25%
levy on all imported iPhones bought by U.S. consumers.