‘China Needs To Make A Deal With Us’: White House Says U.S. Has One Key Leverage Point

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the White House is relying on one key leverage point to get China to the negotiating table amid the ongoing tariff war between the United States and the communist regime.

Quoting President Donald Trump, Leavitt stated that the ball was “in China’s court” and told reporters during Tuesday’s press briefing that at the end of the day, Chinese exporters needed one thing that only a renegotiated trade agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration would provide: access to the American markets.

WATCH:

.@PressSec shares a statement from @POTUS: "The ball is in China's court. China needs to make a deal with us; we don't have to make a deal with them. There's no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger, and China wants what we have… the… pic.twitter.com/qD9LHzdAJm

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 15, 2025

“Look, the president has made his position on China quite clear, although I do have an additional statement that he just shared with me in the Oval Office,” Leavitt said, quoting, “‘The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us; we don’t have to make a deal with them. There’s no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger, and China wants what we have, what — every country wants what we have: the American consumer.'”

“Or to put it another way, they need our money,” Leavitt added. “So the president, again, he’s made it quite clear, he’s open to a deal with China, but China needs to make a deal with the United States of America.”

China and the United States have gone back and forth — with escalations and increased retaliatory tariffs on both sides — in the days since Trump first announced his “Liberation Day” plan aimed at leveling out trade imbalances. As some 130 nations have opted for negotiations over retaliation, Trump announced a 90-day pause in the increased tariffs for those countries. The tariffs against Chinese imports remain at 145%.

Leavitt also took a swipe at former President Joe Biden — who is scheduled to speak Tuesday evening — saying that she’d been surprised to learn he was speaking at night. “My first reaction when seeing Former President Biden was speaking tonight was, I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime. I thought his bedtime was much earlier,” she said.

.@PressSec: "My first reaction when seeing Former President Biden was speaking tonight was, I'm shocked that he is speaking at nighttime… I understand the topic of his speech is Social Security. Let me make it very clear… @POTUS is absolutely certain about protecting Social… pic.twitter.com/0ElkJilupB

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 15, 2025