Trump said the US could make at least $1.5 trillion a year by stopping trade with countries where it runs deficits and tied that threat to demands for Federal Reserve rate cuts.
Economists said cutting off trade with partners such as China, Mexico, Taiwan and the EU would choke supplies of chips, rare earths, auto parts, fertilizer and lumber, forcing factory shutdowns and hitting farmers and homebuilders.
Trump also pressed the Fed to slash rates to 1% or 0.5% even as it raised short-term rates to 3.75%-4% to fight inflation, a stance experts said would instead fuel price pressures.
He further claimed lower rates could drive US GDP growth to 14%-20%, far above the 2.2% second-quarter pace and well beyond normal postwar growth ranges.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll found just 7% of Americans think Trump should lead AI regulation, underscoring broader doubts about his economic judgment.