- President Donald Trump said he was joshing when he abruptly looked at the sky and uttered the phrase "I am the chosen one" earlier this week.
- "It was sarcasm," Trump told reporters and he headed to Joint Base Andrews for his trip to the G-7 summit in France.
- Earlier on Wednesday, Trump discussed the tenuous trade war with China and bemoaned to reporters that it wasn't "my trade war."
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President Donald Trump on Friday evening said he was joshing when he abruptly looked at the sky and uttered the phrase "I am the chosen one" earlier this week.
"You know exactly what I meant," Trump told reporters as he headed to Joint Base Andrews for his trip to the G-7 summit in France. "It was sarcasm. It was joking. We were all smiling."
Asked by a reporter if he meant the comment "in a biblical sense," Trump shut the question down.
"A question like that is just fake news," Trump said. "You're just a faker."
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump discussed the tenuous trade war with China and bemoaned to reporters that it wasn't "my trade war."
"This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago," Trump said at the White House at the time.
"Someone had to do it," Trump added, before quickly pivoting his head towards the sky. "I am the chosen one. Somebody had to do it. So I'm taking on China. I'm taking on China on trade. And you know what? We're winning."
By Friday evening, it was still unclear whether the US had gained the upper hand in the ongoing trade war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 600 points, or 2.4% - which happened shortly after Trump lashed out against China and the Federal Reserve in a series of fiery tweets.
Friday evening, the White House announced that tariffs on $250 billion worth of imports would be raised from 25% to 30% on October 1, and $300 billion worth of imports that are scheduled to be taxed would also be increased by 5%.
Additionally, Trump ordered US companies "to immediately start looking for an alternative to China," and called for them to conduct their businesses "HOME and [make] your products in the USA."
China also amped up its trade war against the US on Friday by slapping a retaliatory round of tariffs on $75 billion worth of US products. China's finance ministry said it planned on implementing the tariffs in two tranches beginning in September and December.