ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that following his announcement of new tariffs last week, "countries are calling us, kissing my a**" in an effort to negotiate deals on his trade policies.

“These countries are calling me up, kissing my a**. They are dying to make a deal. ‘Please, please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything’,” Trump told an event for campaign donors to his Republican Party

Last Wednesday, Trump announced tariffs on over 180 countries, ranging from 10% to 50%. Though he had long threatened the changes, the scope and size of the tariffs has shaken world markets.

Trump also criticized lawmakers, including over a dozen House members backing Republican Representative Don Bacon’s bill, which aims to limit his tariffs to 60 days unless approved by Congress.

"And then I’ll see some rebel Republican – some guy that wants to grandstand and say: ‘I think that Congress should take over negotiations.’ Let me tell you, you don’t negotiate like I negotiate,” he said. "I know what I'm doing, and that's why you vote for me."

Since his days as a real estate developer, Trump has boasted of his skills as a negotiator, even as his hard-driving tactics have drawn criticism.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said nearly 70 countries have reached out to Trump to start negotiations since the announcement of the tariffs, noting that the tariffs against China, which were raised to 104% following China’s retaliation, go into effect on Wednesday.

Trump conceded that his 104% tariffs might “sound ridiculous," yet added that many countries had "ripped us off left and right, but now it's our turn to do the ripping."

On Wednesday, Beijing raised additional tariffs for all US imports to 84% against Washington's 104%.