US President Donald Trump has responded to the big fall in American and global stock markets, saying that sometimes tough decisions are needed for the country’s future. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington after a golf weekend in Florida, Trump said, “Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” reported AFP. He clarified that he would not step back from his decision to impose tariffs on other countries.

Trump again blamed other countries for taking advantage of the United States in trade deals. He also pointed fingers at the previous US government led by Joe Biden. “We have been treated so badly by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen,” he said, according to Reuters.

Talking about the financial market crash, Trump added, “What’s going to happen to the markets, I can’t tell you. But our country is much stronger.” He also claimed that he had spoken to world leaders over the weekend and that “they are dying to make a deal.”

Trump’s team says tariffs are serious

Trump recently announced new reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including a 34% tariff on China. This announcement caused panic in the stock markets. Nearly $6 trillion in value has been lost from US stocks due to fears of a trade war and global slowdown.

Still, Trump's top economic officials have tried to calm investors. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS, “The tariffs are coming. He announced it, and he wasn’t kidding.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that over 50 countries had contacted the US after the announcement but warned that talks will take time. “They’ve been bad actors for a long time… After 20, 30, 40, or 50 years of bad behaviour, you can’t just wipe the slate clean,” he said on NBC.

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