Trump Flattered as CNBC’s Sorkin Asks If Amazon and Others May Abandon Tariff Refunds to Avoid ‘Offending’ Him

President Donald Trump was flattered by the idea that major corporations like Apple or Amazon might avoid asking for tariff refunds because they are afraid of “offending” him.

Trump called into CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday for an interview when, upon being asked about whether he would support a rise in interest rates, he railed against the Supreme Court’s February ruling that his emergency tariffs regime was illegal, which he called a “little setback.”

Lambasting the Supreme Court justices, Trump said: “Because of what they did, we have to pay back $160 billion. All they had to do was add one sentence, just one sentence, and that’s, ‘You don’t have to pay anything taken in thus far back.’”

“And by the way, it was a close call, too. There were justices that were powerful that I was right on the tariffs. But because we lost by just two votes, you know, just little vote, two votes, we have to pay back $165 billion. They could have with a little one sentence: ‘You don’t have to pay back tariffs that have already been received. You start from this point, and you do it a different way,’” he repeated.

After he promised that his administration would bring in “bigger numbers” by implementing the tariffs a “different way,” co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin cut in to press the president further on the refunds.

Sorkin began: “Mr. President, on that topic, there’s a whole number of very large companies, including Apple and Amazon and others that have not sought reimbursements yet for the tariffs, meaning they haven’t tried to collect refunds.”

“And from what I understand, part of the reason that they have waited is because there is a worry about, frankly, offending you. Would you find it offensive for them to try to collect a refund?” he asked.

Trump replied: “I think it’s brilliant that they don’t do that.”

Laughing to himself, the president followed: “I actually think if they don’t do that, they’ve got to know me very well. I’m very honored by what you just said. If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them. I will tell you that.”

Watch above via CNBC.

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