Why Trump Can't Spin This Defeat
President Donald Trump's effort to portray his trip to China as a win for the United States is facing a major obstacle, according to his long-time biographer.
Author Michael Wolff stated that Trump's attempts to portray himself as the victor in a confrontation with Chinese President Xi Jinping are weakened by China's significant political, economic, and military power, which was clearly evident as senior U.S. officials toured Beijing during a two-day summit.
"I mean, I don't understand how you can describe what occurred in China as anything other than a victory for the Chinese and a humiliation for Trump," Wolff said to the Daily Beast's executive editor, Hugh Dougherty, in a new episode ofInside Trump’s Head.
Let's keep in mind: China was the core of Trump's political career. China was blamed for all the issues in America... This was Trump's main topic—[it] was the key issue in 2016, and it stayed the main focus when he returned to power," he added. "Over the course of the Trump era, we have only witnessed China becoming more influential economically, politically, and militarily. So that's what Trump has achieved.
On Wednesday, China officially extended a red carpet—metaphorically speaking—in an opulent reception for Trump along with several of his senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The U.S. delegation was welcomed by energetic dancers, given a tour of an extensive leadership complex, and impressed by a grand display of military power.
Although there was a detailed presentation, the Trump administration attempted to present the visit as a victory for the United States.
The White House postedA one-minute video featuring China's military, captioned, "American strength back on the world stage." However, the post quickly received comments highlighting that the video appeared to showcase Chinese power rather than American.
"Well, we have a relationship, him and me, and we've been collaborating for a long time. We've always gotten along well," Trump later said.Fox Newsof Xi. "When I first arrived here, China was truly taking advantage of the United States. He recognizes this, and now we have a strong relationship with China, and we maintain a very positive connection."
Wolff stated that Trump's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" approach towards China has unexpectedly made him "Mr. Nice Guy."
It's intriguing how he can shift from complete confrontation to total flattery," he said. "Once more, there are no real objectives here. The goals are truly insignificant compared to the fact that Trump can emerge from a situation and declare, 'I won,' which is exactly what he's doing now. 'It's all great. Everything is perfect. Nothing to see here. All good.'
The White House did not promptly provide a statement in response to an inquiry.
Wolff stated that Trump still recognizes that the public is capable of seeing the alternative perspective.
He stated, "I believe he likely comprehends, 'Man, these Chinese, this has been much harder than I anticipated. We're really in a tough spot here. So how do I—personally—appear less in trouble?'"
The response, Wolff hypothesized, might take the shape of "numerous side agreements."
On Friday, Trump announcedThe aircraft company Boeing is set to sell 200 planes to China—its biggest deal with the nation in almost ten years—after the glamorous summit.
"Our visit to China was highly successful, and we achieved our primary objective of reactivating the Chinese market for Boeing aircraft orders," the company stated.
It's always 'Look, what's the positive aspect here?' and the positive aspect is always about how much money we can generate from this. You know, life is a transaction," Wolff said. "How do we gain something? Even if the main deal isn't looking good, maybe there are additional deals we can make. And I believe we're going to see numerous side deals.
Find and follow Inside Trump’s Head with Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles onYouTube and wherever you obtain your podcastsNew episodes offering unparalleled understanding of the mind of the world's most discussed individual air every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night onYouTubeand Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings duringother podcast platforms.
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