Why Desperate Trump Can’t Spin This Failure - The Daily Beast

A consensus among various media outlets highlights former President Donald Trump perceived significant failure during his administration's trade negotiations and broader economic strategy with China, specifically in protecting the US economy. Contemporary analyses from sources like The Daily Beast, The New York Times, and Paul Krugman now frame these efforts as largely ineffectual, leading to China strengthening its global economic standing while Beijing increasingly views the United States as an "Empire in Decline." This persistent narrative of strategic failure stems from a fundamental mismatch during the US-China Trade War, where Trump's transactional, tariff-heavy approach was reportedly outmaneuvered by President Xi Jinping more nuanced and long-term geopolitical strategy, characterized by some observers as playing "three-dimensional chess." The deeper 'why' reveals a profound divergence in economic philosophies and national ambitions: while the Trump administration prioritized immediate trade deficit reduction and the return of manufacturing jobs, China under Xi pursued a comprehensive strategy focused on technological self-sufficiency, expanding global market influence, and asserting strategic power, which allowed it to consolidate its position irrespective of short-term US pressures.