Trump admits tariffs aren’t about strategy after revealing the shocking reason he hit Switzerland with 39% rate

President Trump shared the surprising reason he raised tariffs on Switzerland. He said the decision was not based on any geopolitical strategy, but on a phone call where he “didn’t like the way they talked.” He made this admission during an interview with Larry Kudlow on Tuesday. Critics immediately mocked the move, saying it proves his tariff policy is guided by personal impulse.

According to The Express, the president explained that Switzerland was sending massive amounts of goods to the U.S. without paying proper tariffs. This was contributing to a huge $42 billion deficit. He felt they had to do something to “even it up a little.”

To address the situation, President Trump initially put a 30% tariff on the country. That’s when things got worse. He received an emergency call from Karin Keller-Sutter, the Swiss official responsible for the economy. Trump said the conversation quickly became aggressive and felt she “didn’t want to listen” to his concerns about the massive trade deficit.

Personal feelings drove the tariff increase to punish Switzerland

Instead of negotiating a reduction, the president decided to raise the stakes. He said, “I didn’t really like the way she talked to us, so instead of giving her a reduction, I raised it to 39%.” That’s a significant jump, especially when the reasoning is based purely on the tone of a diplomatic phone call.

Social media users immediately started mocking the president for letting his feelings dictate such a major economic decision. This admission seems to confirm what many critics have suggested: the tariff policy depends entirely on the president’s “whim at the moment,” rather than any long-term economic plan. This approach mirrors how certain political prosecutions collapsed when decisions were based on impulse rather than strategy.

One user wrote, “Soooo… Raised tariffs on a Woman PM, who Doesn’t exist!! Also, because he didn’t like how she spoke to him… whoever “She” was! My Guy just be talkin to Random ass people!!” Another wrote: “Trump just raised tariffs on Switzerland because of how their ‘prime minister’ spoke to him… except Switzerland doesn’t even have a prime minister. At this point, fact-checking feels futile.”

Switzerland doesn’t have a Prime Minister or a sole head of government. Instead, a seven-member Federal Council governs the country collectively. Each year, one council member is elected President of the Confederation, serving as “first among equals” with mostly ceremonial duties.

The tariff rate didn’t stay at 39% forever. President Trump agreed to reduce the rate down to 15% last month following pressure from Swiss industry. This puts them on a level playing field with competitors in the European Union. Policy experts worry about costly changes affecting American consumers when trade decisions lack long-term planning.

The reduction is part of a preliminary agreement where the Swiss industry committed to investing $200 billion in the U.S. by the end of 2028. The two nations still need to finalize the entire deal and hope to wrap up negotiations by the first quarter of 2026. President Trump said he brought the rate down because he doesn’t “want to hurt people,” but quickly added that the rate going up again is still on the table.