MaddowBlog-Despite the hype, Trump leaves China empty-handed and no better off than he was before [View all]

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The president’s first trip to China was largely a flop. Nearly a decade later, his second excursion was worse.

Despite the hype, Trump leaves #China #empty-handed and no better off than he was before.

The president’s first trip to China was largely a #flop. Nearly a decade later, his second #excursion was worse.

— [The Great War & Modern Memory] (@ps9714.bsky.social) 2026-05-15T17:52:46.195Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-xi-china-trip-iran-taiwan-declining-nation

Apparently, officials in Beijing were less impressed. Reuters reported:

U.S. President Donald Trump left China on Friday with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from ​Beijing to end the Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping.

Trump’s visit to America’s main strategic and economic rival, the first by a U.S. president since his last trip in 2017, had ‌aimed for tangible results to lift his sagging approval ratings before midterm elections in November. Xi will visit the U.S. in the fall at Trump’s invitation, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Trump reportedly hoped to make some progress on Chinese policy toward Iran, but by all accounts, there were no breakthroughs. He also hoped to advance U.S. trade policy, but despite some rhetoric about vague “deals,” the White House had nothing of substance to point to after the trip wrapped up......

Indeed, the American president who arrived in China in a position of weakness was no better off upon exiting the country. If anything, Trump established a new equilibrium that elevated the U.S. rival. As a New York Times analysis explained:

Mr. Xi arrived highly scripted, leaving no doubt that for all of China’s problems — deflation, depopulation, the bursting of the real estate bubble — the moment when China acts as a peer superpower had arrived.

At every turn, at least as he began his two-day trip to China, Mr. Trump sounded conciliatory, the exact opposite of his portrayals of China in public appearances back home, where during his presidential campaigns he has talked about the country as a job-stealer and national security threat. Mr. Xi, while smiling and welcoming to Mr. Trump, was quietly more confrontational — especially on Taiwan, where he delivered an unequivocal warning.

....So to recap, the Republican who traveled around the planet to make headway with China left empty-handed, though he was inclined to endorse the Chinese president’s unheard insult regarding the United States — amid reports that Beijing actually sees Trump as evidence of American decline.

Trump’s first trip to China, in November 2017, was largely a flop. Nearly a decade later, his second excursion was worse.

trump is a horrible negotiator and so no one should be surprised