President Donald Trump has given his bold response to world leaders who begged him for a trade deal over the weekend as his lofty tariffs take effect.

The president, 78, told reporters onboard Air Force One that he has spoken to European and Asian leaders since his worldwide tariffs went into effect – devastating the world’s stock markets. 

Trump boasted that the foreign powers were begging him to make a trade deal with them, but he brushed off their requests and defiantly continued on with his plans.  

‘They’re dying to make a deal,’ the president claimed as he revealed his conditions for any such agreements.

‘But I said we’re not going to have deficits with your country. We’re not going to do that because, to me, a deficit is a loss. We’re going to have surpluses, or we’re, at worst, going to be breaking even.’ 

Trump then went on to issue a warning to China, which he declared ‘would be the worst in the group because the deficit is so big and [it] would have been unsustainable.’

The commander-in-chief also shared a similar message on his Truth Social platform Sunday night.

‘We have massive Financial Deficits with China, the European Union and many others,’ he declared. ‘The only way this problem can be cured is with TARIFFS, which are now bringing Tens of Billions of Dollars into the USA.’

President Donald Trump responded on Sunday to world leaders who begged him for a trade deal over the weekend as his lofty tariffs take effect

The president told reporters onboard Air Force One that he has spoken to European and Asian leaders since his worldwide tariffs went into effect

He shared a similar message on his Truth Social page Sunday night

‘They are already in effect and a beautiful thing to behold,’ he claimed.

‘The Surplus with these countries has grown during the “presidency” of Sleepy Joe Biden. We are going to reverse it and reverse it QUICKLY.’

‘Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United State of America, are a very beautiful thing.’

But his remarks came amid growing fears that Wall Street could see a second Black Monday – potentially making last week’s sell-off sparked by the tariffs look small by comparison.

In Australia, the share market already plunged early Monday morning by 6.4 percent, early losses amounting to $187billion.

Stock futures — a reliable indicator of how the market will open — also plunged on Sunday night in the United States in a sign that last week’s market turmoil is far from over.

It followed the worst two-day wipeout in US stock market history on Thursday and Friday — with $6.6 trillion wiped off the value companies.

Americans around the country took to the streets over the weekend to protest the tariffs

A protester is seen with a sign commenting on the tariffs imposed on Heard Island and McDonald Islands in Hollywood, Florida

A stock market rout does not just affect the big US companies. Most Americans have their retirement savings in the form of 401(K)s or IRAs linked to shares. 

Futures for the three main indices  —the S&P 500, the Nasdaq, and the Dow — were all down between 4.2 and 6 percent at 7.20pm, after an hour and 20 minutes of trading. Traders fear tariffs will cause a global recession.

Each had already dropped at least 10 percent In the two days following Trump’s Wednesday announcement of sweeping tariffs on nearly 90 countries.

Jerome Powell has since warned that the tariffs will cause higher prices, job losses and lower growth.

Trump unveiled his tariffs on countries across the world on Thursday

The chair of the Federal Reserve, which sets interest rates for the US, issued the chilling outlook as he said the central bank faces tough decisions ahead as it navigates the economic fallout. 

Wall Street analysts had expected the Fed to go beyond its planned two rate cuts for 2025 as recession fears grow over the new tariffs.

But Powell said the central bank won’t make any moves until it has a clearer sense of the fallout.

Amid the uncertainty, Americans across the country took to the streets over the weekend to protest Trump’s actions. 

Meanwhile, more than 50 world leaders have heeded financier Bill Ackman’s advice and reached out to the president to negotiate.

As the tariffs took effect, stock markets around the world plummeted

President Trump slapped 34 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports

Trump has even claimed Vietnam has intentions to negotiate down their 46 percent tariff rate.

‘They’re doing that because they understand that they bear a lot of the tariff,’ National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said of the countries coming to the negotiating table on Sunday.

He then went on to claim that the tariffs will not cause a ‘big effect on the consumer.’ 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent similarly claimed on NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ that there was ‘no reason’ to anticipate a recession. 

Yet DOGE Chief Elon Musk has publicly advocated for zero tariffs between the United States and Europe Musk pushed for a tariff-free approach in Europe as he spoke by videoconference to Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

‘At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation,’ Musk said.

The world’s richest man hopes that would create ‘a free trade zone between Europe and North America.’

Trump’s additional tariff rates for the ‘worst offenders’ like the EU are due to take effect Wednesday at 12:01 E.T. 

Imports from the EU will face a 20 percent rate while other trading partners, like China, will be hit with much higher rates. Come Wednesday China will be expected to pay a 54 percent tariff on all good shipped to America. 

 Musk had been noticeably absent at Trump’s White House ‘Liberation Day’ event revealing the tariff plan on Thursday – sparking speculation about why. 

However, just before his videoconference remarks, Musk skewered Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro over free trade. 

Responding to a post on X lauding Navarro’s economic philosophy and bona fides, including his Harvard education, the Tesla CEO ripped the advisor for lacking experience. 

‘A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,’ Musk wrote on X early Saturday morning slamming Navarro. 

‘He ain’t built s***,’ the SpaceX founder wrote.