By Sabiu Abdullahi
US President Donald Trump has threatened to sever trade relations with some countries that maintain trade surpluses against the United States, signalling the possibility of another escalation in global trade tensions.
Trump disclosed the plan on Sunday while speaking to journalists before departing Ireland, where he said the US must take tougher measures to address trade imbalances with other nations.
The president said his administration would consider ending trade with countries that consistently export more to the US than they import.
“I’m going to do that (cut off trade) with some nations,” he affirmed. “We don’t want to have deficits with nations. We want to have surpluses, or at least break even.”
Trump’s latest position follows heightened trade tensions with Canada in recent weeks. The dispute has involved increased tariffs, tighter trade restrictions and retaliatory measures.
The US president also addressed questions about the 2028 presidential election and Vice President JD Vance’s possible candidacy.
Trump described Vance as “terrific” but said it was premature to indicate whether he would support him for the presidency.
“It’s too early,” Trump said, adding, “We have so many terrific people.”
On his political standing, Trump dismissed recent opinion polls that have shown varying levels of public support for his administration.
He described the polls as “fake” and insisted that his approval rating remained strong based on what he called “only the legitimate pollsters.”
Trump also announced that the United States would remove the 15 per cent tariff imposed on Irish whiskey.
During his remarks, he renewed his support for the reunification of Ireland, arguing that, “it is natural to put north and south together.”
However, when asked whether Scotland should become independent from the United Kingdom, Trump declined to take a position.
“I won’t talk about that one, I’ll save that for another day.”
