Trump shrugs off cyber attack from foreign adversary: 'It is what it is'

President Donald Trump shrugged off a Chinese cyber intrusion described by the FBI as a “major incident,” saying the U.S. did the same to the other country's government computer networks, but he erupted when pressed to explain how he would respond to the attack.

The 79-year-old president sat down for an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, who asked about China's reported weapons transfers to Iran to use against U.S. troops, and Trump said Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured him that wasn't taking place.

"I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that," Trump said, "and he said essentially he is not doing that."

Bartiromo then asked about the alleged cyber attack.

"We heard from the FBIthat there was a major cyberattack attributed to China," she said. "What responses underconsideration for the cyberattack."

Trump seemed unconcerned.

"They do it to us, we do it tothem," he said, echoing language he used when asked about Russia providing weapons to Iran.

"When was the last time wedid a cyber attack in China?" Bartiromo countered.

"I'm not going to tell you that," Trump replied. "We do them, they do us, it's been like that for a long time."

"So it's not going to be addressed?" Bartiromo asked, seemingly astonished.

"Maria, I will address things,but it is what it is," he said. "Look, China's China. They are never easy, butwe're doing great with China.I'm the toughest person on Chinaanywhere in the world. I put ona hundred percent tariff on Chinese cars. We don't have a Chinese car inthe whole country.If you look at Europe therebeing inundated with Chinese cars, andit's killing their carcompanies, okay. There is nobodytougher than me – don't forget Iput a 20 percent tariff on them forwhat they've done with fentanyl.I put a penalty, I call it apenalty –I put a 45 percent tariff.I had 145 percent tariff, and literallythey were going to go out ofbusiness.

"There's never been anybodytougher on China than me," he added. "But Ihave a good relationship withpresidency and that's a goodthing. TikTok – billions andbillions of dollars, not thebiggest thing in terms of China,bigger is the other things thatI do, but everybody said theywill never approve the deal, it's a hard no, President Xi saidit's a hard no, we will never doit.Then American business peoplegot together, paid billions ofdollars, and I called the President Xi and said it wouldbe a good thing if you did itand he did it."