China, in his words · Between terms · № 83
Calls China a tremendous economic threat in first post-presidency speech
“But of course, as you know, they have a very close, personal relationship with China, so I don't expect much to happen. It's a shame, because it really is a threat. It's a tremendous economic threat. Thank God we've rebuilt our military, but it's a tremendous economic threat. Never forget it.”
- Said
- , Speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Orlando, Florida
- Subject
- economic threat
- Threat
- Economic threat
- Topic
- Trade & tariffs
- Era
- Between terms
What the record showed
In the same speech he said companies that create jobs in China should be "tariffed, fined and punished." In his second term, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods reached at least 145% in 2025 and were cut to 30% for 90 days under a truce announced on May 12, 2025. After meeting Xi Jinping in Busan on Oct. 30, 2025, he halved the fentanyl-related tariff to 10% and said overall duties on Chinese goods would fall to 47%. The U.S. goods trade deficit with China was $202.7 billion in 2025, down from $297.0 billion in 2024, according to Census Bureau data. In September 2026 he hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington; NBC News reported that he refers to Xi as his "good friend" and to the two countries as the "G2."
Sources
- Trump's Speech at CPAC 2021 Transcript
- U.S. and China announce deal to temporarily cut tariffs
- Trump cuts fentanyl tariffs on China to 10% as Beijing delays latest rare earths curbs by a year
- Trade in Goods with China
- Trump-Xi summit: Leaders meet at White House amid tensions over Taiwan, trade and AI