Bessent Refuses To Say Anything About Trump-Xi Relationship

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear on Sunday that the Trump administration’s tough stance on China tariffs is putting major pressure on Beijing — and the United States is winning.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Bessent was asked about reports that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may or may not be engaged in direct tariff negotiations. The confusion comes after President Trump stated that conversations were ongoing, while Chinese officials quickly denied any such talks.

“President Trump said he’s spoken to President Xi about the tariffs,” Martha Raddatz pressed. “But China claims no negotiations are happening. Which is it?”

Bessent kept the focus on America’s strength, explaining that his recent meetings with Chinese officials during IMF-World Bank Week centered around economic stability and early warnings about global markets — not tariff negotiations.

“As far as President Trump and President Xi personally speaking, I can’t confirm,” Bessent said. “But I know there’s deep mutual respect between the two leaders, and President Trump always keeps America’s best interests front and center.”

Bessent emphasized that the high tariffs imposed by President Trump are causing real pain inside China. “These tariffs are unsustainable for their businesses. The Chinese leadership knows they have a serious economic problem on their hands,” he explained.

When asked why China would deny negotiations, Bessent offered a revealing insight: “They are speaking to a different audience. They have political needs at home. President Trump, however, speaks directly to the American people.”

Pressed repeatedly, Bessent stayed on message: “We have a process in place. These tariffs are a major problem for China’s outdated economic model — and President Trump’s leadership is forcing them to face reality.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with Time magazine, President Trump revealed that President Xi had called him, although he didn’t share details about the timing or content of the conversation. When reporters asked Trump directly whether he had spoken to Xi since the new tariffs were announced, he smiled and said, “I don’t want to comment on that, but I’ve spoken to him many times.”

Under President Trump’s bold leadership, America is no longer backing down. The era of unfair trade deals and endless concessions to China is over. With Trump fighting for American workers and defending the U.S. economy with strong, targeted tariffs, the future is finally looking brighter for millions of hardworking families across our great nation.