Trump says Reagan ‘folded’ to Japan, brags about raising Swiss tariffs after ‘aggressive’ call

Published February 10, 2026 8:06pm ET



President Donald Trump called former President Ronald Reagan “bad on trade” in a Tuesday interview, pointing to a moment when he said Reagan “folded” to Japan in auto industry negotiations.

“I liked Ronald Reagan, but Ronald Reagan was bad on trade,” Trump told Larry Kudlow in a Fox Business interview. “He had the big shootout with Japan, and he folded, and they came in and took our car market.”

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