President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his tariff policy aims to encourage the domestic manufacturing of tanks and technology products – not T-shirts and sneakers.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey, Trump said he agreed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s April 29 comments that the U.S. does not necessarily need a “booming textile industry.” Bessent’s statement at the time met the ire of the National Council of Textile Organizations.
“We’re not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts,” Trump said on Sunday. “We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to make, do the AI thing.” 
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“I’m not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I’m not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships,” the president continued.
In response to Trump’s comments, the American Apparel & Footwear Association said tariffs are harmful to the industry.
“With 97% of the clothes and shoes we wear being imported, and with clothes and shoes already the most highly tariffed industry in the U.S., we need to focus on common sense solutions that can move the needle,” AAPA President Steve Lamar said in a statement. “More tariffs will only mean higher input costs for U.S. manufacturers and higher prices that will hurt lower income consumers.”
Trump, whose broad tariffs sparked a trade war and upended global markets, on Friday pushed for a 50% tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warned Apple that he may implement a 25% tax on all imported iPhones purchased by U.S. consumers.
But on Sunday, he extended a deadline for the levies against the EU until July 9 to allow for negotiations between his administration and the 27-nation bloc. Trump has repeatedly delayed tariffs against foreign countries as his administration seeks to reach U.S.-friendly deals.
Last month, Trump said American children may only be able to have “two dolls instead of 30” because of the impact of his tariffs.
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The U.S. president has vowed to boost domestic manufacturing by imposing tariffs on foreign-produced goods and heralding investments by companies and foreign nations into the U.S., even as the American economy remains dependent on supply chains with other countries where many goods, including textiles, are produced less expensively.
Reuters contributed to this report.
