Yes, Trump called the toy company Mattel a country

During a May 8, 2025, news conference, U.S. President Donald Trump called the toy company Mattel a country.

While it is true that Trump referred to Mattel as a country, he quickly said “his toys” — referring to Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz — would have to bear 100% duties, indicating he understood Mattel made toys. He also added, “I wouldn’t want to have him as an executive too long,” which suggested he may have known Mattel was a company.

In early May 2025, a rumor began to spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump had called the U.S.-based toymaker Mattel a country, threatening it with 100% tariffs.

For example, one post on Facebook with more than 585,000 views included a video with Trump speaking in the Oval Office, adding that “the cognitive issues are getting worse every day”
The video also spread on X and Reddit.

Trump did make this remark at a news conference at the White House on May 8, 2025. After announcing a trade deal with the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who joined the conference by phone, Trump took questions from journalists. One of them asked what he made of Ford raising its prices and of Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz’s assertion on CNBC that despite 145% tariffs on China, he did not expect to bring toy manufacturing to the U.S. but that the cost of the toys would increase. In response, Trump said (at 53:39, emphasis ours):