President Donald Trump’s strategy for the China trade war has become clearer: use an “unsustainable” tariff policy as short-term leverage to force a long-term “fair deal.”
The president himself admitted the tariffs are “not sustainable” in a recent interview. He immediately justified them as a reluctant necessity, claiming China “forced me to do that.”
This strategy will be tested in two weeks, when Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump expressed optimism, saying, “I think we’re going to be fine,” based on his “great” personal relationship with Xi.
The leverage is backed by a deadline. A 90-day truce that has paused duties as high as 145% expires on November 10.
Trump continues to argue the tariffs, while flawed, are essential. “If we didn’t have tariffs, we would be exposed as being a nothing,” he stated, framing the economic fight as one of national respect.