The question arose during a press conference where the President of the United States (POTUS) announced elevated tariff rates for several nations. Just a month ago, he had another intense exchange during an interview with a different journalist.
President Donald Trump’s press conference took place at the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, May 28. There, he announced further tariffs—on top of the baseline 10% tariff for all nations—on almost all of the U.S.’s trading partners.
President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the National Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheatre in Arlington National Cemetery on May 26, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. | Source: Getty Images
During the event, a reporter raised this question, “Mr. President, Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the ‘TACO Trade.’ They’re saying ‘Trump always chickens out’ on the tariff threats and that’s why markets are higher this week. What’s your response to that?”
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
The president replied that he had never heard of the term and speculated if it emerged after significantly reducing his previous 145% tariff on China. He went on to explain that after placing a 50% tariff on the European Union, the supranational entity agreed to meet with him—despite being initially unwilling.
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
“I actually asked them, ‘What’s the date?’ Because they weren’t willing to meet. And after I did what I did, they said, ‘We’ll meet anytime you want.’ And we have an end date of July 9th. You call that chickening out?” he said to the reporter.
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
Trump then pivoted criticizing his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, saying “this country was stone cold dead” during the final stretch of Biden’s term. “This country was dying. You know we have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he added, referring to the U.S.’s current economic state.
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
At the end of his response, he scolded the reporter, “Don’t ever say what you said. That’s a nasty question. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
The tariffs he announced during the conference include a 34% increased tax on all Chinese imports and 20% on those from the European Union. This move—if fully implemented—could further destabilize the global economy and trigger larger trade wars, according to The Associated Press.
President Donald Trump walks the field prior to addressing graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point in Michie Stadium on May 24, 2025, in West Point, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Trump has long maintained that the tariffs he has introduced were designed to boost domestic manufacturing, and promised factory jobs would return as a result of these tax hikes.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House May 23, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
The president said he aims to bring hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue into the U.S. and restore global fairness, after claiming “our country [was] been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other nations.
President Donald Trump speaks after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House May 23, 2025, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images
“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years. But it is not going to happen anymore,” he said. However, experts warn that his policies could trigger a sudden economic slowdown, as price hikes loom over businesses and consumers.
President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, May 25, 2025, after spending the weekend in New Jersey. | Source: Getty Images
In fact, earlier this month, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon announced that consumers can expect price increases as Trump’s tariffs have driven up company costs.
Walmart Inc. President and CEO Doug McMillon delivers a keynote address during CES 2024 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on January 9, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images
“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” he said.
Walmart Inc. President and CEO Doug McMillon delivers a keynote address during CES 2024 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on January 9, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images
Trump also addressed his administration’s policies as well as other issues during an interview with Terry Moran in the Oval Office, published on April 30.
Midway through the discussion, Moran brought up Kilmar Abrego Garcia who had been wrongfully deported, after which the Trump administration was court-ordered to facilitate his return from El Salvador.
Garcia, a Salvadorian native, had entered the country illegally, but was under a protective order that shielded him from deportation. The Trump administration deported him anyway, later acknowledging in court that it had been a mistake.
At the time, the government had yet to comply with the court order to return to Garcia. When asked what his administration was doing to address the issue, Trump responded, “The lawyer who said it was a mistake was here a long time—was not appointed by us—should not have said that.”
A screengrab of Donald Trump’s interview with Terry Moran, dated April 30, 2025. | Source: YouTube/ABC News
Trump then went on to allege that Garcia was an MS-13 gang member. He continued, “The person you’re talking about—this is an MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie, beat the hell out of his wife and the wife was petrified to talk about him. This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland.”
Moran clarified he wasn’t claiming that Garcia was “a good guy” but insisted the rule of law must still be upheld. This sparked a heated exchange, where Trump repeated that Garcia was part of MS-13 and even claimed he had an MS-13 tattoo on his knuckles.
A photo of the alleged tattoo has circulated on social media; however, it is believed that the image was photoshopped. Moran expressed this belief, which appeared to further aggravate the president.
And despite Moran maintaining that the administration needed to follow the rule of law, Trump continued to focus on what he believed to be Garcia’s character and his gang affiliation.
A screengrab of Donald Trump’s interview with Terry Moran, dated April 30, 2025. | Source: YouTube/ABC News
At this point, Moran was trying to redirect the conversation to Ukraine, but each of his attempts were shut down as Trump kept insisting that Garcia’s MS-13 tattoo was real. The POTUS even accused Moran of “not being very nice.”
Eventually, Moran relented, saying “All right, we’ll take a look at it.” Still, Trump insisted, “It’s such a disservice. Why don’t you say, yes, he does and go on to something else?” Moran ends off by saying, “It’s contested.”
