Trump threatens to halt trade with some partners if the Federal Reserve does not cut interest rates

US President Donald Trump threatened today to halt trade with countries with which the United States runs a trade deficit, unless the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, citing the strong August jobs report to justify his stance.

Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social: “Cut interest rates because the United States has a much stronger credit rating than it did just a short while ago! Cut rates, or I will stop trade with countries with which we run a trade deficit.”

In contrast, the latest US data showed that the economy added 162,000 jobs in August, significantly exceeding expectations, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%.

The data bolstered market bets on the likelihood of an interest rate hike at the Fed’s meeting on September 15–16, rather than a cut.