President Donald Trump on Friday took a slap at the World Trade Organization as the U.S.-China trade battle heated up, and defended Scott Pruitt by saying the embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief is doing a “great job.”

‘UNFAIR’ WTO

With trade frictions between the U.S. and China escalating and spooking the stock market DJIA, +0.51% , Trump hit out at the WTO by saying it’s “unfair to [the] U.S.” Beijing has filed a complaint with the trade body over the U.S. decision to slap tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods.

Trump asserted that China gets “tremendous perks and advantages, especially over the U.S.,” at the WTO. “Does anybody think this is fair,” he asked. Trump also said in an interview with a New York radio show that there may be “a little pain” in the short term from the trade tensions with China, but that “ultimately we’re going to be much stronger for it.”

Also see:Mnuchin: There’s a risk the U.S. could get into a trade war.

Opinion: How the U.S. and China could end this ‘tit-for-tat’ trade war.

PRUITT ‘TOTALLY UNDER SIEGE’

Trump came to Pruitt’s defense, with the head of the EPA weathering criticism over his travel expenses and reportedly renting accommodations at a below-market rate from the family of an energy lobbyist. Trump asked on Twitter, “Do you believe the Fake News Media is pushing hard on a story that I am going to replace A.G. Jeff Sessions with EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, who is doing a great job but is TOTALLY under siege?”

The Wall Street Journal reported White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told Trump last week that Pruitt should step down. But Trump isn’t ready to fire Pruitt, a White House official said.

Read:White House investigates EPA chief Pruitt over sweet rental deal.