Asked when the government would 'finally classify China as a currency manipulator'

“When will the US government finally classify China as a currency manipulator? China is robbing us blind and @BarackObama defends them.”

Said: December 30, 2011, Post on Twitter (@realDonaldTrump)
Subject: currency manipulation
Threat: Economic threat
Topic: Trade & tariffs
Era: Before politics

What the record showed

He made the same complaint on Oct. 15, 2012. As president he wrote on April 16, 2017: 'Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?' His Treasury Department designated China a currency manipulator on Aug. 5, 2019. On Jan. 13, 2020, Treasury reported that no major trading partner met the criteria for manipulation and placed China on its monitoring list. Treasury's report of July 23, 2026, also did not designate China.

Sources

Tweet by @realDonaldTrump, December 30, 2011 Twitter, Dec 30, 2011
Tweet by @realDonaldTrump, October 15, 2012 Twitter, Oct 15, 2012
Tweet by @realDonaldTrump, April 16, 2017 Twitter, Apr 16, 2017
Treasury Designates China as a Currency Manipulator U.S. Department of the Treasury, Aug 5, 2019
Treasury Releases Report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States U.S. Department of the Treasury, Jan 13, 2020
Treasury Releases Report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States U.S. Department of the Treasury, Jul 23, 2026