US President Donald Trump has stated that he is “the chosen one" to take on Beijing and that his life would be easier if he had not mounted a trade war with China.

The remark came during one of Trump’s trademark “helicopter” press conferences, outside the White House on Wednesday. Fielding questions on a range of topics, the president touched on the tariff war with China that he launched in March 2018.

“I am the chosen one,” Trump says, looking up at the sky.He said someone had to take on China on their unfair trade practices and he’s the one. https://t.co/MQlSgzpszC — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 21, 2019

Noting that his life would be “much easier” if he did as other presidents and let China take advantage of the US economically, Trump said he had to do something about it.

“This isn’t my trade war. This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago,” he said.

Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one.

“So I’m taking on China. And you know what? We’re winning,” Trump added, arguing that China was losing jobs and having the worst year in half a century “because of me.”

Trump has imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of imports from China over the past year, with Beijing retaliating by taxing US imports. This tariff war has played out as a backdrop to the negotiations between the US and China to redefine their trade relationship.

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The US president has repeatedly said he wants to make a deal with his “good friend” President Xi Jinping, but the talks have repeatedly broken down. Trump accused China of walking away from the most recent round of trade talks because Beijing is waiting to see who will win the 2020 US election.

Trump spoke for about 35 minutes prior to boarding a helicopter and leaving Washington for Kentucky, where he is scheduled to speak at the American Veterans convention.

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