"Donald Trump asked Rolex executives if he would have been invited to watch this month's US Open final from the luxury watchmaker's VIP box had he imposed steep tariffs on Swiss exports weeks earlier. The US president's remarks were made in jest, stressed Jean-Frederic Dufour, the Rolex CEO, in a letter to Elizabeth Warren, the US senator who had raised questions about the decision to invite Trump including whether the conglomerate was seeking to curry favor with the administration."
"But Dufour described how Trump brought up the tariffs he had imposed on Switzerland, and Swiss exporters like Rolex, weeks earlier. President Trump, never one to miss a rhetorical opportunity, did ask in jest whether he would have been invited had it not been for the tariffs a moment that brought a round of laughter all around and, as you can imagine, a swift return of attention to the unfolding excitement on court, Dufour wrote."
"Trump's 39% tariff on Swiss exports to the US significantly higher than his 15% rate on the European Union, or 10% on the UK threatens to pile pressure on Rolex, one of the world's leading watch manufacturers. Dufour claimed that the invite to Trump, and other senior figures in his administration, was part of a broader focus on the values of sport, sportsmanship and international friendship, rather than any capitulation to the US president."
Donald Trump asked Rolex executives if he would have been invited to the US Open final from the watchmaker's VIP box had he imposed steep tariffs on Swiss exports. Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour characterized the remark as a jest and denied any negotiation with the US government regarding tariffs. Trump's 39% tariff on Swiss exports to the US, higher than his 15% EU rate and 10% UK rate, risks pressuring Rolex. Dufour said the VIP invitations reflected sport, sportsmanship and international friendship, and that no substantive discussion of tariffs or trade policy took place. Senator Elizabeth Warren condemned the scene as out of touch.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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