President Donald Trump is once again defending his hardline trade strategy, recounting how he temporarily increased tariffs on Switzerland after what he described as an “aggressive” phone call with the country’s leader.
In an interview Tuesday on Fox Business with Larry Kudlow, who served as director of the National Economic Council during Trump’s first administration, the president made clear he has little patience for critics of his reciprocal tariff approach.
“Only stupid people and people who really hate Trump” oppose the strategy, the president said, arguing that his tough trade policies are aimed at correcting imbalances and protecting American interests.
During the conversation, Trump revisited a past exchange with Switzerland’s leader after imposing a 30 percent tariff on the country. Trump said he received what he described as an emergency call from Switzerland’s “prime minister,” though he appeared to be referring to former Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, who served through December of last year.
According to Trump, the Swiss leader was unhappy about the 30 percent tariff and pressed him repeatedly during the call, emphasizing that Switzerland is a small country.
“I put on a 30% tariff, which is very low. Still, we were having a big deficit but it was half the deficit and I got an emergency call from I believe the prime minister of Switzerland and she was very aggressive. Nice, but very aggressive,” Trump said.
He recounted her telling him, “Sir, we are a small country. We can’t do this. We can’t do this.”
Trump said she continued to stress Switzerland’s size, repeatedly telling him, “We are a small country.” The president responded by pointing to what he described as a $42 billion deficit with Switzerland.
“You may be a small country, but we have a $42 billion deficit with you,” Trump said he told her.
The president added that he “couldn’t get her off the phone” and was dissatisfied with the tone of the conversation. As a result, instead of reducing the tariff, he increased it from 30 percent to 39 percent.
“So it was at 30% and I didn’t really like the way she talked to us, and so instead of giving her a reduction I raised it to 39%,” Trump said.
He explained that he was subsequently inundated with outreach from Switzerland following the increase. At that point, Trump said he decided to pursue a more “palatable” solution.
“And then I got inundated by people from Switzerland and I figured, do you know what? We’ll do something that’s a little bit more palatable,” he said.
Trump has previously referenced the same exchange while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos. At that time, he described Switzerland’s leader as having rubbed him the wrong way during the pushback against his tariff decision.
“She just rubbed me the wrong way, I’ll be honest with you,” Trump said in Davos.
The president’s comments underscore his broader approach to trade negotiations — one that relies on aggressive tariff measures and direct confrontation to address what he sees as unfair trade deficits. In his view, the United States must be willing to take strong action when dealing with foreign leaders, regardless of their country’s size.
As Trump continues to champion his reciprocal tariff strategy, he has made clear that tone and leverage both matter when negotiating on behalf of the United States.
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