Trump: Swiss Tariffs Hiked as Prexy Rubbed Him the Wrong Way

Many of Donald Trump’s international critics have long accused the American president of setting tariff rates for petty and personal reasons that have nothing to do with trade policy, Steve Benen reported for MS NOW.

As part of his remarks, Trump admitted that he did not remember the name of the Swiss president at the time, Karin Keller-Sutter, or her title. (Photo: Faruk Pinjo, World Economic Forum Flickr)

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Trump conceded that his critics were right.

The New York Times reported: “President Trump said on Wednesday that he imposed higher tariffs on Switzerland last year, at least in part, because of a phone call with the country’s president that ‘rubbed me the wrong way.’”

The tariff rate, which Trump set at 39% last August, was significantly higher than the rates he imposed on the European Union, which negotiated a 15% tariff, and Britain, which reached a 10% tariff deal.

As part of his remarks, Trump admitted that he did not remember the name of the Swiss president at the time, Karin Keller-Sutter, or her title.

But he remembered thinking she was “very repetitive” when she asked him to be more reasonable, adding, “She just rubbed me the wrong way, I’ll be honest with you.”

At that point, Trump said he imposed a 39% tariff on Swiss products — a level he later reduced after, as an Axios report summarized, the Swiss deployed a delegation of industry tycoons to the White House bearing gifts, including “a special Rolex desktop clock, a 1-kilogram personalized gold bar, and loads of flattery.”