Washington [US]: US President Donald Trump on Monday attributed his hoarse voice to what he described as a tense confrontation with officials from a foreign country attempting to modify an existing trade agreement.
Trump’s raspy tone was noticeable during a meeting with the White House task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. When a reporter asked whether he was unwell, Trump dismissed health concerns, saying, “I feel great. I was yelling at people because they were being foolish about a trade issue involving another country. I lost my cool, but I fixed the situation.”
Pressed to name the country involved, Trump refused to divulge details. “They wanted to change the terms of their trade deal. I didn’t approve,” he said. When asked again, he added, “Why would I tell you that?”
The US is currently engaged in various trade dialogues with Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In October, Trump held discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, where both sides reported progress in their ongoing negotiations.
Trump said China had agreed to cooperate on the fentanyl crisis, and in return, he planned to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports by 10 percent—bringing the rate down from 57 percent to 47 percent. He also noted that he decided against imposing a 100 percent tariff scheduled for November 1 after Beijing postponed planned export restrictions on rare-earth magnets by a year.
Following his meeting with Xi, Trump expressed optimism about reaching a broader trade settlement soon. “On a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I’d rate the meeting a 12,” he said. “We made several decisions and resolved many key issues.”
