Donald Trump says halting U.S. trade with countries running surpluses is "IT’S BETTER THAN TARIFFS!"

After a federal jobs report showed 162,000 payroll additions in August, President Donald Trump called again on the Federal Reserve to reduce its benchmark interest rate, posting on Truth Social that he would otherwise halt trade with countries running surpluses against the U.S. He argued that those nations depend on the U.S. market, cited a recent Supreme Court ruling involving tariffs as backing for presidential trade powers, and framed the threat as an alternative to tariff measures. The Fed has kept rates unchanged since December; Trump-appointed Chair Kevin Warsh took over in May, and inflation is 3.4%, above the Fed’s 2% target. Policymakers meet September 15–16, and the Fed appears likelier to hold or raise rates than to cut them.