President Trump took some time Wednesday afternoon to address what led to him putting a 90-day pause on tariffs, and it had something to do with folks getting "yippy." The president made the remarks in an appearance on the driveway of the White House South Lawn alongside a who's-who of racing champions, including Roger Penske, on whom President Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his first term.

The media gaggle on hand for the photo op were quick to ask the president about the tariff pause, and the president was happy to talk about it since, as he has proven time and again, he's not the kind of president who's afraid to answer the tough questions. 

.@POTUS: "No other President would have done what I did... Somebody had to do it. It had to stop because it's not sustainable. Last year, China made $1 trillion off trade with the United States... Now I've reversed it." pic.twitter.com/9BmKdFzLm1

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 9, 2025

When asked what transpired between Wednesday morning, when President Trump posted "BE COOLl!" to jittery Americans, and Wednesday afternoon, when the president pulled the trigger on the 90-day pause, he responded he thought people were getting too "yippy, a little bit afraid."

Trump continued, "No other president would have done what I did. No other president. I know the other presidents and they wouldn't have done it. And it had to be done." He also predicted that the pause would lead to a flurry of deals:

A deal's going to made with China. A deal's going to make with every one of 'em. And they will be fair deals -- I just want fair.

And for those wondering if the "Liberation Day" recipricol tariffs levied last week were just a classic "art of the deal" scenario, the president revealed he had "been thinking about this for decades." Since nothing had changed before his return to the White House, he had to do the "big thing" because no one else was going to do it.

MORE: Huge: Trump Pauses Tariffs for 90 Days, Puts China in the Crosshairs As Stocks Soar

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As RedState's Bonchie reported earlier Wednesday, President Trump initiated a hold on the tariffs to give time for things to come to a head with China and to reward countries who did not institute retaliatory tariffs on the United States.

President Donald Trump made the surprise decision on Wednesday to pause his newly instituted tariff regime and focus his energy on China. According to his statement, a 90-day pause will be instituted while various agreements are hammered out. 

The exception? China is now set to receive a 125 percent tariff in response to the retaliatory tariffs it placed on American goods.

The White House said earlier in the week that their phones had been ringing off the hook with countries wanting to find solutions to existing trade imbalances. What this means long term for tariffs remains to be seen, but the markets sure love the idea of the tariffs going away. 

🚨HIGHEST SINGLE-DAY DOW GAIN IN HISTORY. +2965 pic.twitter.com/yteLBkc7bz

— Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) April 9, 2025

It looks like anyone with a case of the yips over the stock market now has 2,965 good reasons to put the cap back on the Xanax bottle. The NASDAQ also rallied, recording its best session since 2001.