The White House says Donald Trump’s words were absolutely misinterpreted when he said he’d had second thoughts about the ongoing trade war with Beijing. The only thing Trump regrets is that he didn’t hike up the tariff rates more.

Trump told members of the press earlier on Sunday that he “has second thoughts about everything” after being asked if he had reservations about the trade war with China. The media, however, misinterpreted his answer, according to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

“President Trump responded in the affirmative because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher,” Grisham wrote in a statement.

The US president’s enthusiasm for economic warfare is not shared by all of Washington’s allies. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson put forward a carefully worded critique of Trump’s approach during a working meeting with the US leader on Sunday, stating that the UK was in favor of “trade peace” and preferred free trade over tariffs.

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