Trump threatens to halt trade with countries where the US runs a deficit if the Fed does not cut interest rates

US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to halt trade with countries with which the United States runs a trade deficit, unless the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.

Trump said in a post on the “Truth Social” platform that high interest rates place the United States in an “unfairly disadvantaged” position, adding: “We should have the lowest interest rate compared to any country in the world.”

He added: “Lower the interest rates, or I will stop trading with countries with which we run a trade deficit.”

Trump’s comments came after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday that the economy added 162,000 jobs in August, surpassing expectations, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%.

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The strength of the labor market data has led traders to increase their bets on the Federal Reserve raising interest rates at its meeting scheduled for later in September.