China, in his words · First term · № 54

On China

Declared in State of the Union that China's "theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end"

“We are now making it clear to China that, after years of targeting our industries and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end.”

Said

February 5, 2019, State of the Union address, U.S. Capitol

Subject

theft of jobs and wealth

Threat

Economic threat

Topic

Trade & tariffs

Era

First term

What the record showed

In the same passage Trump said, "But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us," and "I have great respect for President Xi." The Phase One agreement was signed on January 15, 2020; China ultimately bought 58 percent of the U.S. exports it had committed to purchase, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The U.S. goods deficit with China was $342.6 billion in 2019, $308.0 billion in 2020, $352.8 billion in 2021 and $382.3 billion in 2022.

Sources

1. Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union The American Presidency Project, Feb 5, 2019
2. China bought none of the extra $200 billion of US exports in Trump's trade deal Peterson Institute for International Economics, Jul 19, 2022
3. Remarks With Vice Premier Liu He of China on Signing the United States-China Phase One Trade Agreement The American Presidency Project, Jan 15, 2020
4. Trade in Goods with China U.S. Census Bureau, Sep 28, 2026