US President Donald Trump is watching President Donald Trump wearing a Magazine hat before he greets the military and his family during a military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on July 4, 2025.
Brendan Smirowski | AFP | Getty Images
Say what you love about President Donald Trump’s leadership style and policy. But he has a way in words.
Trump’s love for contract creation and his previous career as a real estate tycoon are both well known, and the loving president often laments speeches and interviews with business-related terminology. Now, he is turning to the world of sports for inspiration when recent US trade deals discuss with global trading partners.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, the president acquired when he joined a new team, likening billions of dollars worth of investment pledged by Europe and Japan as part of a recent trade deal with Washington to a “signature bonus” baseball player.
“We’re taking in trillions of dollars,” Trump told CNBC’s “Scoobox,” saying, “people love tariffs, love trade deals, and love that foreign countries don’t tear us apart anymore.”
“When you look at Japan, we’re accepting $550 billion. That’s like the signature bonus that a baseball player gets. He’s a little less than that… But they give a $1 million signature bonus, or $2 million or $20 million, or $20 million, or hell today,” he said.
“So I got a $550 billion signature bonus from Japan. That’s our money. It’s our money that we invest as we please.” He also noted the European Union’s pledge to invest in the US and buy $750 billion worth of American energy.
The EU and the US announced a trade agreement in late July, and an agreement that reduced import duties to 15%. Additionally, Washington said the EU would “purchase $750 billion in US energy and make $600 billion in new investments in the US by 2028.”
However, there was no other information about the promised investment. When the CNBC anchor became more clear on Tuesday, Trump said, “The details are $600 billion to invest in what I want.
Asked what would happen if the investment didn’t go through, Trump said, “Well, they’ll pay the tariffs at 35%. No, they’ve beaten the tariffs.”
Anecdotally, White House leaders said representatives from other countries asked why the EU received lower collections.
“And I said, ‘Well, (EU) gave me $600 billion.’ And that’s not a gift.
Similarly, the US trade agreement with Tokyo emphasized that “Japan will invest $550 billion, which the US directed to rebuild and expand its core American industries.”
The White House said the funds will target “revitalizing American strategic industrial bases” to reduce the US’s dependence on foreign-made goods, materials and suppliers.
