Donald Trump says that “no one knows what magnets are” during a strange Oval Office press conference. During the swearing in of a new ambassador to India on Monday (10 November), the President launched into a rant about China, whilst discussing their recent agreement to start easing rare earth export rules. “China was going to hit us with rare-earth. Now, everybody says, ‘Oh, what does that mean?’ Magnets. If China refused to give magnets, because they have a monopoly on magnets… there wouldn’t be a car made in the entire world.” He then claimed that “nobody knows what magnets are”, before going on to praise the “great deal” the two nations made in October. Whilst the talks did not end in a formal agreement, Mr Trump agreed to reduce tariffs on some Chinese goods entering the US, whilst Beijing agreed to suspend export control measures it had placed on rare earths.
“Nobody knows what a magnet is, can ya believe it…they’re still trying to figure it out. I know what a magnet is, but I’m not going to tell you.”
I talked to a special someone, oh, maybe you know him? Mr. Bill Nye the science guy, that’s right, and he told me - and only me, how magnets work and I won’t tell you in the media since you treat me so rude, like no one has ever seen before ever quite frankly.