U.S. President Trump. UPI Yonhap News. 

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 16th (local time) that he might impose higher tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, which are more profitable than automobiles, than the 25% tariff on cars.

When asked by a reporter as he left the White House for his visit to the UK on the same day, "What do you think about the concern that U.S. automakers will be harmed if car tariffs are compromised and lowered from 25% to 15%?", Trump replied, "I haven't compromised on anything."

U.S. automakers have expressed dissatisfaction since President Trump reached a trade agreement to lower car tariffs from the existing 25% to 15% with South Korea, Japan, and the European Union (EU).

President Trump emphasized that he was the one who first imposed the 25% tariff, and said, "They didn't pay any tariffs for years. Now they are paying 15%, and some things can be taxed more. Semiconductors can be taxed more, and pharmaceuticals can be taxed more. Semiconductors and pharmaceuticals have higher profit margins (than cars)."

Previously, President Trump had foreshadowed "quite substantial tariffs" on semiconductors, at one point mentioning "100%", and had referred to 150-250% for pharmaceuticals.

President Trump said, "Don't forget, the European Union is paying us $950 billion because of tariffs. Japan is paying us $650 billion. Companies and countries that weren't paying us anything before I came along."

Regarding the tariff lawsuit pending before the Supreme Court, President Trump stated, "All legal experts say we won the case, but we still have to see. The Supreme Court has been excellent (so far), and I think the Supreme Court is very fair."

The Supreme Court, composed of nine justices, has six conservative justices, including three appointed by President Trump during his first term.

Recently, the Supreme Court has tended to rule in favor of conservatives, such as suspending criminal proceedings related to President Trump by recognizing broad criminal immunity for the official actions of former presidents during their terms in July last year.

President Trump claimed, "If we win that case, our country will become much richer than any country in the world, and then we can help people get rid of debt. We can help our people, and even help other countries."

Regarding the disposition of TikTok, a Chinese video platform for which security concerns have been raised in the United States, President Trump confirmed, "I have reached an agreement with China. I am going to talk to President Xi Jinping on Friday (19th) to finalize everything."

He said there are "very large companies" that want to acquire TikTok's U.S. business operations.

TikTok, which is popular in the United States, has faced concerns that its parent company, China's ByteDance, could be used for data theft or hacking by the Chinese government. In response, the U.S. Congress enacted the "TikTok Ban Act," which prohibits TikTok services in the U.S. unless its U.S. business operations are sold to an American company.

President Trump has been negotiating with China to postpone the enforcement of this law to allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S., with the goal of U.S. companies acquiring a majority stake in TikTok. A broad agreement was reached at high-level U.S.-China trade talks held in Madrid, Spain, the previous day.

Yonhap News