By: Ann Stossel, Political Correspondent
April 9, 2025
Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump had the room in stitches at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner on Tuesday night, April 8, 2025, as he boasted about foreign leaders “kissing my ass” to secure trade deals in the wake of his sweeping “reciprocal tariffs.” The tariffs, which took effect on April 2, match the rates other countries impose on U.S. goods, and Trump’s unfiltered remarks—shared in a viral clip on X by @WesternLensman—underscored his confidence in the policy’s success while taking a jab at GOP critics like Senator Rand Paul.
“They’re calling me, kissing my ass, they are dying to make a deal,” Trump told the crowd, mimicking desperate foreign leaders: “‘Please, please, sir, let me make a deal, I’ll do anything, I’ll do anything, sir.’” The room erupted in laughter as Trump described the pressure his tariffs have put on nations like Japan, South Korea, and Italy, who are now scrambling to negotiate new trade agreements to avoid the “Liberation Day” tariffs.
Video below:
China, hit hardest with a 104% tariff on all imports starting April 9, has vowed to “fight to the end,” per a Reuters report on April 7, but Trump claimed the U.S. will come out on top. “We will do much better economically as a result,” he said, pointing to $1.2 trillion in manufacturing investments since January 2025, as noted by journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon on Piers Morgan Uncensored on April 3.
Trump also took aim at Republican detractors, specifically referencing a “rebel Republican” who wants Congress to take over trade negotiations—a clear dig at Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who has criticized the tariffs as harmful to American consumers. “I’ll see some guy that wants to grandstand, say: ‘I think that Congress should take over negotiations,’” Trump mocked. “Let me tell you: You don’t negotiate like I negotiate.” Paul, alongside Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), has pushed the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would require congressional approval for new tariffs, a bill supported by former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, per a Newsweek report on April 4.
Conservatives on X, like @MAGAForce2024, loved Trump’s brashness: “Trump telling it like it is—foreign leaders are begging, and he’s got them by the throat!” Others, such as @PatriotPulse, praised his negotiating prowess: “Rand Paul wishes he could negotiate like Trump—Congress would botch it.” The tariffs have already forced concessions, with Israel eliminating all tariffs on U.S. goods and Vietnam slashing rates on American LNG and cars, as reported by the White House on April 2. For Trump supporters, the NRCC dinner speech was a victory lap, proving his tariff strategy is working—and the room’s laughter showed they’re loving every minute of it.
