President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE late Friday said that he was speaking sarcastically this week when he declared himself "the chosen one" amid his widening trade war with China.

"You know exactly what I meant. It was sarcasm. It was joking, we were all smiling. And a question like that is just fake news," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for his trip to France for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit.

Trump garnered attention on Wednesday when he rejected concerns about his long running trade war with China while looking upward and saying he believes he is "the chosen one" to fight decades of trade cheating by Beijing.

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“Somebody said this is Trump’s trade war. It’s not my trade war. This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago by a lot of other presidents,” Trump said, criticizing former Presidents Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonHarris: Ginsburg 'absolutely' cleared the path for me Anxious Democrats amp up pressure for vote on COVID-19 aid Barr's Russia investigator has put some focus on Clinton Foundation: report MORE, George W. Bush and Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaDemocrats ramp up pressure on Lieberman to drop out of Georgia Senate race The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on Trump: 'He'll leave' l GOP laywers brush off Trump's election remarks l Obama's endorsements Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE.

“Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one,” Trump continued, glancing over his shoulder and toward the sky. “Somebody had to do it, so I took on China. I took on China on trade, and you know what? We’re winning.”

Trump remarks came the same day that he defended his comments about Jewish loyalty that sparked backlash on the left, with Trump sharing a quote from a right-wing radio host likening him to "the King of Israel" and the "second coming of God."

" 'President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world...and the Jewish people in Israel love him like he’s the King of Israel," Trump tweeted, quoting Wayne Allyn Root.

"They love him like he is the second coming of God...But American Jews don’t know him or like him. They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense!" Trump added, still quoting Root.

Trump weighed in Friday following the latest escalation of his trade battle with China, announcing tariffs on hundreds of billions of Chinese goods in a sweeping response to duties announced by Beijing earlier in the day.