President frames tariffs as national security, cites newly reported tariff receipts

The president used Rose Garden remarks to link tariffs with national security and economic gain, telling the assembled lawmakers and guests that "Tariffs equal national security." He said the administration has used tariff authority to generate revenue and leverage in trade talks, and previewed a meeting with President Xi in South Korea to press for fairer terms.

On the subject of revenue, the president said staff discovered about $31,000,000,000 tied to tariffs and described confirming that the tariffs "kicked in" earlier than expected. In the transcript the speaker also corrected phrasing in the same passage while addressing Senator Lindsey by name; the figure is reported as the speaker stated it and is presented here as an attributed claim. "They kicked in 2 months ago," he said, then later referenced the additional $31,000,000,000 in tariff receipts.

The president framed the tariffs as inducing manufacturers to locate plants in the U.S. rather than export to the U.S. under previous regimes, and said that approach is helping attract investment in industries such as automotive and AI. These points were advanced as the president's policy argument; the transcript records his assertions and examples but does not provide independent budgetary documentation.