Trump says if no China trade deal possible, ‘I am a Tariff Man’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out the possibility of an extension of the 90-day trade truce with China but warned he would revert to tariffs if the two sides could not resolve their differences.

Trump said his team of trade advisers led by China trade hawk U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would determine whether a “REAL deal” with Beijing was possible.

“If it is, we will get it done,” Trump wrote in a Twitter post. “But if not remember, I am a Tariff Man.”

While Trump hailed the agreement with Xi “an incredible deal,” a lack of detail from the Chinese side has left investors and analysts wondering if Trump’s exuberance is warranted.

“It doesn’t seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trump’s tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality,” JPMorgan Chase said in a trading note.