(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said that the U.S. will enjoy a “very big spike” in stock markets if he closes a trade deal with China.
“As soon as these trade deals are done, if they get done, and we are working with China, we’ll see what happens, but I think you’re going to see a very big spike,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Friday to review tornado damage in Alabama.
Trump has pushed his negotiators to rapidly complete a deal with China out of concern that he needs a significant win on the international stage to juice stock markets ahead of his 2020 reelection campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. His remarks on Friday seemed to affirm that motive.
But Larry Kudlow, his chief economic adviser, said on Bloomberg Television at nearly the same time that Trump wants a good deal with China, not a quick deal.
“This idea of a quick deal just to get a pop in the stock market, I just want to strenuously disagree,” Kudlow said.
