We are not getting competence and strategy. We're getting tantrums, bluffs, and a wider trade gap than when this nonsense started.
This isn't about Trump. It's way, way, way bigger than Trump. The problem is that Trump doesn't know it and the Chinese do.
3
This president is a disaster. He thinks he is a great deal maker yet he is destroying long term alliances and and making us even more hated in the world.
4
China shivs US and Trump declares victory. How many more Chinese jobs will he save, as compared to American jobs he ignoresa?
2
The only thing Trump is good at is shameless self-promotion. A showman a/k/a/ con artist. Perhaps his book "The Art of the Deal" should have been titled "The Art of The Con".
Trump was a real estate developer, not a businessman. He's never managed a business or a smaller group/division of a business. He's never had to account for his actions and decisions to higher-ups.
He's never been as successful as he claims.
He's never been as good a negotiator or deal maker as he claims.
But Trump has been great at taking his companies into bankruptcy and using the bankruptcy laws to rid them of debt and emerge with a "fresh start".
I can only hope the US emerges with such a fresh start on election day in November 2018 and again in November 2020.
9
Thank God for Donald Trump! I love how he's making all the socialists, communists and atheists squirm - especially the readers of the NYT! 2020, baby!
2
Dear abc:
Wow, socialists, communists, and, atheists. You've it the trifecta, pal.
Thank God you've got it all figured out.
Yes indeed, Trumpy's doing a bang-up job. As a fellow New Yorker, it must make you extremely proud, accent on the extreme. Let's throw in Giuliani, Cohen and the Mooch for good measure. Yep, 2020 looks like a shoe-in, at least in your eyes. Good luck on that bet.
DD
Manhattan
2
What charm is that???
4
Remember those quaint times when people complained of "flip-flops"? Now we have re-occuring whiplash. Trump is what he has always been, a playboy who relies on personal connections rather than actual expertise, on personal charm and intimidation, rather that actual ability, who also happens to be a racist leader of a white power mob. I can imagine what Chinese diplomats think of us now. We're like the Clampetts, only not so nice.
3
The Chinese are having a field day with this loud mouthed moron. He's the epitome of the ugly American and they will enjoy taking him to the cleaners whilst patting him on the head and making him think he's getting a good deal. Art of the deal ? These guys wrote the Art of War. It's not even a fair fight from the start.
5
Did someone say, "Trump's Charm"? (Definition: The power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration).
Please try again and with more accuracy.
Thank you.
1
Didn't the POTUS family organization get some kind of trademark and/or branding deal just a few days before the announcement of the about face? I don't understand why NYT continues to imply that this administration has motives other than enriching themselves personally. Also they seem to be pumping money into the hands of major GOP donors. NYT is insulting the intelligence of readers!
4
Is there a reason that the NYTimes would like not to see the US work with China? Seems that they prefer attacking Trump and anything (everything) he does or may do than seeing a reasonable trade agreement with a country that notoriously steals proprietary information and floods the US economy with cheap (and shoddy) goods. Readers too, would rather attack anything Trump than see anything good happen. Very sad.
1
Reporting the inability of the administration to come up with attainable goals and listing its flip-flops on policy are not the same as hoping for failure.
8
the reader above you, lani muholland, states it more accurately: the NYT, like most of our "liberal" media, continually give the russian puppet the benefit of the doubt. the puppet and his criminal low-life family are enriching themselves with nearly every move they make in foreign "policy." there is ample evidence of this, but we have a treasonous republican party that is gladly enabling this traitor.
4
You lost me with the first two words of the headline, referring to a non-existent trait.
Charms? What charms? The Chinese are laughing their way to the bank!
2
what I dont get it why both parties are upset with the result~? In China, chinese people are upset and worried because cheaper agriculture product will destroy their own market. Plus, promise more buying from US is a major lost for Chinese regime. In US, people are saying no real progress, everything is a fiction. Well, whats going on~? Are chinese people are been naive or US people are been harsh on president ~?
1
Charm? Surely, you mean smarm.
4
Donald Trump cannot keep a promise. This is his game. He has swindled billions from contractors who have expected him to pay up. Will these trade negotiations be any different? Will his talks with Kim and up the same? It has always been Donald Trump First and Make Donald Trump Great Again.
4
The big-money backers of the Republican party - and also of the Democratic party - on the whole don't want major changes to international trade. For one thing, it tends to reduce wages in this country as they can turn to much lower-wage foreign labor. So is Trump's approach really a failure? It may ultimately be an electoral winner. Trump can claim to be the champion of American Workers, extract some minor concessions from China, but leave things overall much as they were. The main thing for many wage-earning swing voters is finding politicians who are "on their side" in economic as well as social matters. Trump's actual deal-making is of little importance when he can keep up the facade of doing something for American workers. Meanwhile the party establishments and most of the media array themselves on the side of the US and international corporations (as well as Chinese) who are the real winners from globalization.
1
As the head of a company, Trump had but one strategy----demand, bully, and attack. If that opening did not immediately work, he would use his wealth to attack and bludgeon until his opponent gave up.
Trump tried this on China and it did not work. They laugh at his floundering around and his lack of brainpower.
5
Looks like Mr. Tough-guy is finding reality a little harder to navigate than some stupid TV show.
6
Lets face it - its all way too complicated for Donald.
5
Although the Trump administration is willing “to hold off for now on imposing tariffs on up to $150 billion in Chinese imports. China gave up little in return, spurning the administration’s nudges for a concrete commitment to buy more goods from the United States, and avoiding limits on its efforts to build new high-tech Chinese industries.”
But Trump already bragged about China buying “massive amounts of ADDITIONAL Farm/Agricultural Products.” He needs to convince the farmers that prosperous years are in the offing ahead of the November mid-terms.
China certainly wants Trump to remain in power, as it will only weaken America’s international standing, allowing Xi Jinping to realise his Chinese dream and goals as laid out in his speech during the 19th Party Congress last October after his term limit had been scrapped.
3
Maybe the Chinese read “The Art of the Swindle”. Very compelling I hear, and a quick and easy primer for anyone needing to deal with Trump. Luckily for foreign governments Trump long ago laid out his secrets for striking those big, successful deals. China cracked his “code”. Half a billion dollars infused into Trump’s Indonesian real estate development, and viola! Trump suddenly moves to “save Chinese jobs” by lifting the penalties from a bad-actor company that gave technology to North Korea and Iran and stole US trade secrets. In one fell swoop he demonstrated a lack of toughness on North Korea and Iran, pandering to China, disrespect for Americans and utter contempt for our European allies whom he seeks to punish for doing business legally in Iran.
I guess half-a-billion is the price of the US government. Look for more personally enriching kick-backs for Trump from foreign governments in the next two and a half years. Anyone with eyes can see how business in Washington is done these days. Maybe we should take up a collection from never-Trumpers to pay Trump to stop taking pots shots at the rule of law, alienating our European allies, spouting racist rhetoric, and despoiling the environment. We could buy a solution to DACA while we’re at. A couple of bucks a piece would do it, right? Money well spent, I say. And way cheaper than the cost of Trump’s policies.
7
He is learning what many have learned before him. The Chinese are great and skilled negotiators. They use every ploy to beat you. Their favorite is the patience game. They often say that Westerners have no patience. On one day, you may finally arrive at some concessions with your Chinese counterparts. The next day, you may discover that the negotiators have been replaced by others who know nothing about what you think you have achieved and you must start all over. Chinese chess has no three move draw rule. You repeat until one party gets tired of playing.
6
Trump believes his own publicity. He thinks he's still on The Apprentice, and may tell people they're fired. He fitted into that TV persona because he grew up that way. Well, at least he issues his edicts via twitter and not as graffiti on the restroom wall.
6
Your headline says Trump has Charm and Threats???????? Trump has charm? And real, verifiable threats? And here I thought his only "charm" was that his threats were so childish, so exaggerated, so stupid, so vile, and so inconsistent that only the most intellectually undisciplined and fantastically gullible could swallow them.
5
He's like the village idiot(apologies to the VI) trying to play chess or Go with a master. Clueless.
4
I, for one, would like to see a brief series of interviews with your corporate directors, executives, and key investors in which they discuss their political leanings and dealings with government. Very soon, please.
Why am I so nosy? Because of recent headlines on Google including such gems as "Trump's Charm..." and "Victory on China trade..." and "Mueller plans to wrap up Russia investigation by September 1...". Little subliminal nuggets that, oddly of late, all align very powerfully on the pro-Right side.
Given the gymnastics in which you engage to make the torrent of worrying news from DC appear to spread evenly from Right to Left, this begins to seem more than chance. Given the now-old-news corporatization of media, and you in particular, it is discomfitingy creditable.
I'd just like to know what I'm looking at here.
3
That other national newspaper, the one published in the capital city, doesn't do any of the RWNJ-placating the NYT has been practicing continually for a while now, as well as publishing more wacky nonsense by Stephens, et al., on the editorial pages.
I think you're right that blowing some fresh air into NYT's inner workings might be really revealing.
Charm? He has none.
4
The "deal" he's made was to get Ivanka's brands protected in China, and to get both Chinese, and Middle East money for his, and Kushner real estate deals. He has no interest in the welfare of the US. It's been clear from the start that his presidency was about self promotion, and personal gain.
7
Why cannot his fans see this? Examples are given every single day!
3
There isn't any way Trump's intellectual capacity can compete with that of the Chinese who are currently in negotiations with our government. They are much too smart for Trump - who isn't?
5
Trump will be gone, sooner than later I hope. China is playing a long game. They understand that their civilization’s future lies beyond the next quarter for their businesses. If the last year and a half have been any indication of America’s direction in this century, then the century belongs to China.
8
Can we just make the verified assumption that nothing Trump does works? That way we can focus on what does work. The thesis of this piece should be, what does work and how Trump isn't doing it. (Because he never does the thing that works)
6
Charm??????
3
CHARM??
A headline writer overreaching for balance, methinks.
5
Mr Trump's methods of negotiationn will never meet with success in China. His way of negotiating is a total contrast to the Chinese way: get to know your partner, have meals together without mentioning the deal you are trying to work out, then speak about your respective goals and interests, negotiate some more during multiple meetings, finally outlining a deal. That is only the start - various points are then negotiated and re-negotiated until both parties are confident that they have what they want. The Western way of threatening and putting pressure on a partner is considered rude, respectless, in brief, like the behaviour of a child that has been left totally unsocialized and is a disgrace to his family.
7
Threatening and bullying is NOT "the Western way". It is strictly Trump's way.
1
Deal maker, Huh, Where is the deal? Chinese are playing DJT like a fiddle.
6
After ZTE there is nothing left to negotiate. How can you negotiate with a country that has created a set of "rules" for itself that gives it freedom to sanction at will at any time?
4
Trump’s charms? Did I miss something?
5
Chinese have more to lose than us. Keep the pressure on Mr. President. Your predecessor was so weak that other world leaders pretty much ignored him. This is much needed progress.
1
You must have missed the observation in the article that "the trade imbalance between the countries has actually widened since Mr. Trump visited Beijing in November."
5
President Trump was correct when he said trade wars are easy to win. After the bravado came his retreat on tariffs and the embarrassing cave on Chinese job losses. The trade war is over and China won, big time.
7
As per some posts here, Trump's loyal base believes anything he Tweets or says and so does he!
If it sounds good, it must be true. Any factual follow-up is ignored. "Winning" by bullying and intimidation seems to be the way Trump has lived his life - wars of attrition where people finally give in just to shut him up. It won him a presidency but it will not win him a respected place in the world. Only someone willing to do what's best for the country, willing to learn and willing to understand the give and take of diplomacy, will succeed in that. Mr. Trump has always run things for the benefit of mainly one person's ego. His loyalty lies to himself and his family only. Stand back, really look and listen to the man, his history, and what he says, and think twice. The rest of the world apparently has...
9
Empty threats and hollow promise have become the hallmark of the Trump Presidency. Given the pause in his steel and aluminum tariff threat, the Chinese have called him out and American manufacturers are slowly coming to that conclusion too. If Trump were to decide between breaking a promise to US industry or being accoladed with a Nobel Peace Prize - is there any doubt about which way he would step? Regrettably, Trump has placed the USA in the middle of a pincer movement between China and North Korea...and from what I can tell, it's all in the name of vainglory.
5
Why do we insist on the fairness on trade in terms with surplus/deficit so much when we are at so different stages of economic development and in so different environments? (A country may have been already economically exploited by the other under a forced rule.) But we can insist on the fairness on the issue of human rights if we believe all peoples are equal. In fact trade imbalance may stem in large part from how workers are treated in each country. (For example, karoshi, or overwork-death, is certainly a human right issue directly related to trade.) If Mr. Trump is supported by neglected workers he would understand the plight of workers of ZTE and find a way to punish the company but not the workers.
1
Aki, believe this: Donald Trump does NOT care about anyone but Donald Trump.
3
Your story can be summed up in the first sentence:
"China has called President Trump’s bluff."
Trump has neither charm nor backup for his supposed threats.
All world leaders are aware of these facts at this point.
Oh Lord, I cannot wait for this Presidency to be over.
6
Charm?
10
Charm? What charm?
11
All of this staged trade drama is nothing more than Kabuki Theater with the leadership caste players of each side playing and pandering to home audiences. A theatrical presentation of the absurd.
John~
American Net'Zen
1
The Chinese have decided not to become the Neville Chamberlains of Asia.
3
Stop normalizing this. Charm? Seriously stop. The whole world is a slowly boiling frog. And now he is charming? Stop.
12
Trump's charm and threats seem not to be working with North Korea either. Any bets on whether the big dance gets canceled to spare Trump the mortification of Little Rocket Man eating his lunch at the negotiating table?
3
And nobody makes better deals than DJT?
3
Who approved this heading?
10
If Trump's TPP withdrawal had ensured Chinese economic and trade dominance in the crucial Asia-Pacific region, his subsequent policy flip-flops beginning with the high tariff war cries to ending with conciliatory gestures have resulted into the second round win for China in its ongoing trade war with the US, reinforcing the impression that Trump is essentially a bad deal maker.
12
This would be funny if it wasn't so sad for the nation. This 'chaos clown' once again is met with his own incompetence and limitations particularly on the world stage...the sad part is he knows he is out of his depth. This situation shows that he has again misjudged those on the other side of the table...his ego driven mind caused him to underestimate the Chinese, who,at the risk of stereotying, will stick to the long game (made in China 2025 and beyond) and come from a culture that stings out negotiations and never clearly agree in the short term. Looking at this objectively the Chinese hold the winning cards...ie. China is America's largest creditor (Treasury bonds), its liquid with $3 trillion in cash on hand, have Kim in their pocket and thus can deny Trump a big ego boost, can buy fossil fuel cheaply from Iran thanks to Trump, can get soybeans now imported from the US elsewhere, have the incentive to displace the US as the largest economy and military inthe world, and on and on. The biggest advantage, which is obvious to everyone, is Trump himself: he is hanging by a thread to stay in office for just 4 years and to do that he has to hold the fringe of his cult together...fraying with soybean farmers in the midwest, oil exports must increase, can't afford more concessions with tech industry. Trump is finally seeing, but won't admit, that being POTUS is hard work...something his predecessors all knew.
14
It is a problem when a serious newspaper attributes too much importance to individual psychological factors when talking about international trade. What is important is the exchange of commodities that represent equal value although with variable prices. Chinese produced commodities tend to embody labor that is cheaper than those produced in the US and tend to be cheaper. Walmart and the workers who shop there could not afford the decreasing salaries they employ. Those are objective factors that rule over personal sympathy or antipathy. Without the other the economy may crash sooner than later.
1
I see the threats (not helpful) but no charm. Sigh. What a nightmare.
6
Trump, charm?
Trump the bully, you mean?
9
Are we tired of winning yet? Trump -- the world's greatest hot air balloon!
7
President Trump showed up for amateur hour, the Chinese delegation showed up for high stakes negotiation. Not hard to tell how that worked out.
11
China is negotiating deal terms on trade that support its strategic vision for industrial leadership in Years 2025 and 2050. Trump negotiates terms that favour the farming and coal industries (i.e., that support the base of his political support for 2018 and 2020). And China knows this.
Rather than constantly whining about trade deficits with China on Twitter, our perpetually aggrieved president should focus on industrial policy focused on building platforms for Economic growth that are sustainable into the future.
12
Trump's what?!? I was an English major in college but just in case I looked it up. Charm (def): Noun. A power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty.
No wonder. He's playing with an empty hand.
15
Does Trump do anything right? I don't mean far right. I mean correct, reasonable, ethical, moral, truly patriotic.
17
The goal should be to reduce the overall trade deficit, not the deficit on a country-by-country basis.
We will have a surplus with some countries and a deficit with others.
Attempting to have a surplus with all countries is known in economics as “mercantilism”, and is widely discredited. It caused the Spanish empire’s downfall several centuries ago. It was displaced by comparative-advantage based trade.
The trade deficit will not be reduced by negotiations, either bilateral or multilateral.
The only way the overall trade deficit can be reduced is by reducing the federal budget deficit.
The least harmful way to reduce the federal budget deficit is by increasing taxes.
The least harmful way to increase taxes is to increase taxes on corporations and on high-income individuals.
See also:
“The strong dollar is a stock-market drag and poses a threat to earnings growth”
https://finance.yahoo.com/m/f5fd9102-bc5b-3df2-b2c5-a16f29be6a0a/the-str...
“Since the beginning of April, the ICE U.S. Dollar Index (IFUS:DX-Y.NYB), a popular gauge of the U.S. currency that measures it against six rivals, is up 3.9%."
That is the equivalent of a 4% tariff on US exports.
5
When Republicans heard on tape how Trump likes to grope the private parts of women without their permission, they thought that was charming. When Trump paid $25M to settle a suit for defrauding students of their life savings , Trump fans thought that was charming. When Republicans learned that Trump has been bought and paid for for years by laundered Russian money that was very charming to them as well. When the GOP leadership learned of Trump's extortion of companies and governments for political favors they were beguiled by Trump's charm
Apparently the only people in the world who find Trump's ignorant and disgraceful behavior to be charming are Republicans. No one else, including the Chinese, is amused.
18
So much for Mr. Trump's lauded negotiating skills. It is easy to say you can negotiate a better deal than what your predecessor did, now do it. Mr. Trump and his administration is all talk, no action. Except for when their actions/policies benefit the Trump Organization.
9
Trump built his personal wealth -- however much it actually is -- on the principle of, "You can fool all of the people some of the time." The problem with diplomacy is that all of the people you deal with are going to be around more than just some of the time. A country like China, which takes the long view on basically everything, is not susceptible to the used car salesman techniques that have been used to bully local governments and real estate clients in the past.
11
Between Xi and Trump, I prefer Xi. He is a dictator committed to the success of China. Trump is an aspiring authoritarian committed only to his narcisism.
23
Our elites do not appear to be thinking clearly anymore. Or, perhaps they never have thought clearly. Have any of them moved past "Dr. Strangelove" territory when discussing the possibility of nuclear war? Every night, since the North Korean situation has been ramped up a notch over the past year, I hear a Congressperson or "expert" discussing what will happen "if" there is a nuclear exchange. "If?" In what rational universe does anyone believe that there will NOT BE a complete collapse of human civilization "if" there is an exchange of nuclear weapons anyplace on the planet? In what rational universe do our elites believe it's "okay, no big deal," to have Donald Trump--an unstable, ill-informed narcissist--at the helms of power in such a situation? In what rational universe do our elites believe it's "okay, no big deal" to have a chief executive tweeting like a twelve-year-old brat when the stakes for all of us are so high?
I do not pretend for one minute to know how to deal with the horrifying authoritarian nightmare that is North Korea. However, I do know that any exchange of nuclear weapons there, or anyplace else, will not leave any of us "winners." No. Does anyone in Washington DC care about the future of human civilization? Do they all think that the world revolves around their tiny egos, their bizarre and irrational lust for power? Must all of us suffer because one little brat needs to be appeased again and again?
14
Most of China's commercial class were wiped out during the Cultural Revolution. Only the engineers survived that (Xi is one). Thats why their negotiators are mostly youthful.
But having said that, America's leadership is old and well out of date. When you vote next, get rid of anyone over 60: it will be doing your country a favour.
8
Charm and threats don't work?
But...but I would have thought that was a winning combination that trumps a well thought out long term policy any day!
You know...like he said.
2
Trump’s “charm and threats” only works on the weak-minded and cowards. China’s leadership is neither. China didn’t rise in less than 40 years from a communist backwater to be the second largest economy in history by accident. And thanks to our inept President, within our lifetimes China will be the largest economy on Earth. Why anyone voted for that buffoon is beyond me.
17
Sure. The Chinese act methodical and rational. Confucianism at work.
But they rose to the second largest economy in history largely due to three facts:
authoritarian communism changed to authoritarian capitalism
Wallstreet beholden business leaders moved all their production there in order to offer cheap goods domestically and harvest big profits for themselves
they have a billion people.
A large economy is not by definition a good one. It is just large.
trump has charm??? wow!! a better word would be unctuous.
5
Oleaginous.
Trump has no charm. He is a loser, not a winner. If he isn't berating someone, he's whining about something else.
10
WERE CHINA TO BUY "AS MUCH AMERICAN FARM PRODUCTS AS WE CAN PRODUCE"FOR THEM, (A PARAPHRASE OF TRUMP INC.AND MR T'S BOASTS- WOULD NOT ONE OF THE IMMEDIATE AND OBVIOUS RESULTS BE A A LARGE INCREASE IN PRICES FOR SUCH PRODUCTS FOR AMERICAN CONSUMERS? I HAVE HEARD TRUMP INC TORPEDOS CLAIM THEY DON'T CARE HOW THIS AFFECTS PRICES-BUT I DO-
RECENTLY, I WENT TO BUY SOME ORDINARY, CRYSTAL SUGAR. ONE OF THE CHEAPEST AND MOST COMMON LARGE FARM PRODUCTS. I WAS ABSOLUTELY FLABBERGASTED TO SEE FOUR POUND-NOT COMMON FIVE POUND-PACKAGES, AND INSTEAD OF SUGAR SELLING AT 5-POUNDS FOR ABOUT $2, IT WAS FOUR POUNDS FOR $3.50 +!
i AM AWARE THAT MANY FARM PRODUCTS-LIKE OIL-OFTEN BOB UP AND DOWN IN PRICES. nEVERTHELSSS, TO SEE COMMON WHITE CRYSTAL CANE/BEET SUGAR GOING FOR ALLMOST $1/LB SENT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE.
IF CHINESE ARE COMPETTING FOR THE SAME GOODS-I WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD U.S. FOOD AND WILL FINALLY HAVE TO GO ON A PARMANENT DIET I HAVE PLANNED--GIVING UP ALL BUT INDIGESTIBLEPLASTICS AND FOODS AND OTHER "MATERIAL" FOUND IN GARBAGE DUMPSTERS. . .
HOW ELSE WILL I MAINTAIN MY STATUS AS A MEMBER OF THE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS , AND AFFORD MY LUXURY APARTMENT-WHICH ONCE WAS A ORDINARY MIDDLE INCOME APARTMENT, 1 BLOCK FROM ONE OF NYC'S STINKIEST BREWERIES-(MY FIRST MEMORIES ARE OF THE SMELL OF OLD BEER LEAVINGS)-OI!
2
The negotiation seems like a win-win so far. China got the tariffs rescinded, and hasn't had to make any concrete concessions. Trump got $500 billion in Chinese investment in his Indonesian real estate project. Win-win.
Oh, the United States? I don't think they are represented in this negotiation.
7
China actually invests more in their diplomatic foreign service than us. They simply know more than the Trump administration and therefore have an advantage in negotiations. This is not hard, considering Trump did not even know until after the election that China supported the North Koreans during the Korean War. And Trump has decimated the Foreign Service and State Department.
3
I doubt the comparison photo of the trade negotiations with the photo of the signing of the Boxer Protocols will make much of an impression on Americas, who probably have no idea what the Boxer Rebellion was and what it signifies. That, in itself, is part of the problem.
The photo is a warning. China of the 19th century refused to adapt in the face of changing times. It closed itself off in isolationism and drowned itself in an intoxicating belief that it was simply better than Western barbarians. The result was a tumultuous 20th century, full of humiliation and pain for China.
The times are changing again. Instead of adapting to and engaging with a changing world, Trump wants the US to isolate itself, bury its head in the sand, and believe he has a magic time machine that will take us back to 1965. But the fact the US is unable to simply strong-arm China shows times are changing. Smarter policies are required, but I doubt that'll be forthcoming from this administration.
I wonder how will the world view the Trump administration trade negotiation photo in 20 years or 50 years.
7
The C team in operation. Perhaps this bodes well in that as this administration’s incompetence becomes obvious to all, even to his supporters, we will elect someone else.
4
Trumps "Charm"! What charm?! I simply cannot get near today's media when they produce such words as "Trump's Charm!"
What happened to "Trump's Lies"?? When are the media going to call Trump what he is???...the WORST and most DECEITFUL president the USA has ever had? Sometime I HATE my country, particularly Evangelicals --- which were such a part of my upbringing (I was in youth group w Robert Jeffress at First Baptist Dallas).
When is America going to quit compromising and lying and return to our basic, bottomline values?
6
This just in, "Trump Administration surrenders to Freedonia".
3
A few questions: Wasn't it only within the last 5 or 6 years that the Sunday morning news shows featured "experts" predicting the imminent collapse of China's economy and government? If ZTE's operations are dependent on components made in the US, how many jobs here are at risk if the sanctions take effect? Does Trump deserve any credit for keeping the trade imbalance issue on the radar, even if his solutions are inept and even dangerous? And speaking of inept, the "solution" of sending more minerals and ag products to China restores zero manufacturing jobs, and calls to mind a riddle once posed by former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca: What do you call a country that exports raw materials an imports finished products? Ans.: A COLONY
2
If you want to solve the trade deficit, tell Trump voters to stop buying Chinese products from Wal-Mart and Bass Pro Shops.
2
Nonsense. Trumps charms and threats are working a treat. as Mr. Krugman pointed out, a Chinese company has invested a six figure sum in one of Trumps Indonesian ventures. To expect Trump to care about anything else besides enriching himself, or to judge his endeavors by any other standard, is like expecting your cat to help wash the dishes.
5
What a crazy headline.
4
I missed the part where Trump is charming. Pretty crazy headline,
I guess I missed ever seeing Trump be charming. He has no sense of humor, he's a bully, and has manage every other country in the world, starting with Australia, of all countries.
6
Sorry. Managed to offend every other country in the world.
1
The Chinese have one decided advantage in this contest. They think years ahead, and steadily go forward with their goal to catch up and surpass the US in technology and economic leverage. In the meantime, the US under Trump can't see beyond how this looks on tomorrows Fox and Friends. At best, US leaders never look beyond the next election, while the Chinese, and the Russians, build for the future. Maybe we'll get a far seeing leader some day, but so far neither the Dems or the Repubs seem to offer much hope of it.
7
Is there any Chinese Americans were involved with the trade negotiations with China? Based on the photos I did not see any ethnic minorities are participated in any international negotiations or meetings. The Chinese Americans may have a better language abilities and understandings about China than white Americans. Since we have to deal with China on many issues everyday, it may be time that we should enlist some Asian affairs experts to participate in these kind of meetings or at least as a resource person to provide suggestions to the negotiation team. America has nothing to lose for getting helps from Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities for issues related to Asia, Africa and Middle East. America is a nation of immigrants. A melting pot. Not everyone is a security risk. The final decisions are still made by the President and his trusted advisors. China always consult with Dr. Kissinger before they met with the American team.
4
There probably are, but like with those at the State Department while negotiating with either Korea, Koreans were ignored or pushed out. So any Chinese-Americans on staff in trade related departments were probably ignored. After all, to Trump, only a white man knows how to handle these things, the older the better. Doesnt look like it is working out for him or us.
1
It wont be trump that destroys America. It will be those in Congress who didn’t remove trump when it was obvious to the country and to the world that it was absolutely necessary. Cowards and partisans all. And anti-American. Pathetic.
14
Trump is a legend in his own mind. Give the folks in China credit for being smart, determined, and not fooled by liars and cheaters.
12
Make America Great Again is a bone without meat and the marrow isn't there as well. China has recognized the fact and Europe isn't too far behind.
So it should be obvious to the most casual observer all Trump is doing is convincing everyone they can move forward on their own initiative without using the US as a crutch. That reliance on the US is more of a liability than it is an asset.
7
The word charm and Trump should never be used in the same sentence. He is a lot of things-- a liar, a narcissist, a bully, a racist, a sexual predator, a conman--a charmer is not one of them except to the Trump supporters. What his followers mistake for charm is actually just a reflection of their own bigotry.
13
Actually, liars, conmen and narcassists can be quite charming when they wish to be or think it is worth their while. That is why they are so successful in many areas of their lives in fooling people. And it why it is so hard for many to see their evil ways, and for those not fooled by them to convince others of their true character.
2
I thought Trump was going to turn over all negotiations with China to Carl Icahn. But wasn't he the one who discontinued his role as financial advisor because of "conflict of interests"? Another example of Trump's bloviating on the campaign trail and making promises his obnoxious style and inexperience as a political leader couldn't keep. Now we're left with the likes of Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro and low-rent, profanity-laced verbal brawls in front of the Chinese that make Trump's U.S. look like a bunch of out-of sync, addled idiots.our negotiating teams possess no tight, cohesive policy, other than trying to please our whimsical, authoritarian leader, Banana Republic style. Tired of winning Trump-style, America? Good lord, we look ridiculous.
6
How can you have a message that means anything, if the tweeter account in the oval office says one thing one day and then says another thing the next day and then his admin office holders shrug their shoulders and say whatever they want about what he clearly has little clue about, we slowly become a 3rd world nation with a guy that acts like he has a hormonal issue.
4
China now owns Iran and recent moves by Trump have only driven Iran further into the China and Russian camps. U.S. was finished back on Oct. 29, 1979 when former U.S. CIA Director William Colby went on the Ruff House T.V. program with host Howard Ruff and said Iran "could soon have a new government, a military leader could be coming to power and the new government will be friendly towards Israel." That evening the message from Colby was conveyed by letter no internet in '79 to the former Embassy of Iran in Washington. An acknowledgement letter from the embassy was received signed by the Charge d'Affaires the Hon. Ali A. Aga & dated Nov. 4, 1979 the very day Iran captured the American embassy in Iran. In his letter of Nov. 4, 1979 the Hon. Ali A. Aga made this statement "Of course they could not come back after the commercial to talk about a new government in Iran."
1
Because he's a bully who only gets to push around smaller countries and a divided European Union. Size matters and all signs indicate that China is well on its way to surpassing the US economically regardless of how you cut it, GDP or PPP. You can't contain or push around someone who's about to be bigger than you. It's Darwinian.
3
If China commits to buying that much more food and petroleum, why won't prices rise for Americans?
3
Lots of posturing by the WH with no meaningful result. It now emerges that China has bested us once again. The purchase of more sorghum is just another example of us supplying China with a raw material, in this case food, with little added value. The sale of oil to China is counterproductive because the US will have to import a n equal amount for every drop it ships to China. We are huge importers of oil, about one million tons a day, fracking will never close that deficit. In addition, we are saddled with lack of ability to load the largest tankers to ship oil to China, thus reducing the price we get since shipping is more expensive in smaller ships that also have to transit the Panama Canal.
Worse, these two exports are a drop in the bucket in reducing the trade deficit and do nothing to decrease our reliance on Chinese products. Nor has this any effect in protecting our IP, another goal not met.
Once again the score is Xi 1: Trump 0
5
I love it! China gives Trump a taste of his own medicine. In essence, they just told him, "We'll have to see...."
12
America's adversaries love that Trump is President. Therefore they will all make token concessions to try and prop him up because they know that the best way to hurt America is to get Trump reelected.
10
The United States of America: The greatest country/laughingstock on earth.
9
Trump's charm? Whenever using such labels as honest, truthful, selfless, and most especially charming to describe Trumpy, please be sure to put them in "quotes".
DD
Manhattan
4
With Trump as the Conductor, the orchestra keeps playing while the Titanic sinks.
7
What a Joke? On the one hand, you want the President to do everything, and be successful in each, then you are the Ones criticising him, downplaying him, and even ridiculing him on every turn. Then you talk so appreciatively about a cohesive Chinese position etc. etc. You simply cannot have the cake and eat it too!
Tsk, tsk.......NYT! Charm, really?
Why not call a spade a spade? Label it for what it is: ineptitude and incompetence.
7
Trump’s trade war with China is the equivalent of the Franco-Prussian war, with the US playing the role of the Second French Empire. Now with the capitulation to China, Mexico will have no problem in its NAFTA renegotiations. It is hard to believe that this administration could make Theresa May look like a brilliant trade negotiator.
3
Trump’s bragging about his success with China and N Korea is empty puffery. When you get down to it Trump has succeeded at nothing. No wall, no better deal with Iran, Syria is still a disaster, Immigration is in shambles.
3
Trump's "charm"?
Who writes these headlines?
Trump is charmless.
He has -zero- sense of humor
His idea of "charm" is insulting the world and gloating.
He is nothing but a clod and a bore.
Thanks Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio, in particular, for electing this cancer. Hillary was right, you are deplorable.
22
And Pennsylvania. Not sure Iowa was up for grabs.
1
Charm? What charm?
6
If the Chinese admin has sense (and they do), they just need to tell the world that Trump has won -- that will allow them to do anything they want.
4
Charms? This I gotta see.
2
The NYT has done a disservice to its readers by failing to mention the $500,000,000 “investment” that the Chinese government made into a Trump-branded resort in Indonesia – an investment that will funnel millions of dollars directly in to Trump’s pockets.
I can understand a reluctance to simply conclude that the half-billion dollar ‘investment’ was little more than a thinly-disguised bribe (since that remains to be proven), but to fail to mention it as a possible factor is a serious disservice to readers. Whether or not the Chinese investment was, in fact, a direct bribe, the timing of the Chinese cash infusion and Trump’s decision to seek to “aid” ZTE cannot – or at least should not – be ignored.
Is the NYT to afraid of President Trump and his legions of trolls that they won’t state the obvious?
19
The HUFFINGTON POST reported it was double that amount...half the funds from a Chinese bank.and the other half directly from the Chinese Government. Isn't that illegal?
2
charm ???
6
Trump’s “Charm”? Such an oxymoron in a headline, I have never heard!
7
Ok, here we go " trade wars are good, and easy to win '.. and he is going to get a ghost writer to write a book about how he is so great. He just handed China a win, USA, zero.
2
He has charm?
5
Foolish tweets saying that Trump has reduced tariffs and barriers for the first time are so obviously wrong that it shows why Trump fought the trade war, and lost.
Trump's charm??? Sorry but I have missed something.
5
Trump is just to ignorant, as a result of his own incuriosity, to become even semi-fluent in the major policy matters fretting this nation. By now we’ve seen it. His only answer is to throw a Trump Rally somewhere in Alabama so he can convince himself of his greatness.
Policy, and the development of policy, just aren’t that easy. It’s amazing to me that, along with himself, he has two other senior nitwits who believe trade wart is good (and easy to win), to that there is no way to keep score in such a war.
Such an unwashed president then takes on simplistic propositions, like getting the Chinese to commit to reduce the trade deficit by $200B. It’s not that simple, and it’s the wrong goal anyway.
Maybe Trump took the world by storm, but each day we see him falling hard back to earth.
4
Trump appears to be nothing more than an ‘apprentice’ on the international trade stage. Trump got nothing in the trade deal with China and gets an F or maybe an F+ For hardly trying. So on behalf of all Americans, we’d like to say to you Donald trump, you’re fired.
7
Trump's charm??? He has no charm whatsoever...not of the personality type anyway. Maybe he has a victory "charm" he purchased from an old witch--perhaps the one that suggested the term "witch hunt" to him as I'm sure he was unfamiliar with the term as he doesn't/can't read. But that trinket isn't working, is it?
2
Who in the world is naive enough to think that the crazed and wholly inept Trump and his incompetent retinue would ever be able to outsmart the Chinese -- who've written the book on brilliant, creative, long-term strategic thinking?
Trump used threats, charm, and an army of lawyers to weasel his way along in the world of commercial real estate. Those tools are useless in confronting the world's other superpower on issues so fraught and complex that they make real estate deals look like a walk in the park.
2
attacking Trump and his staff during negotiations is anti-american
2
Wrong. They need to be called out when they are failing their mission and instead are turning this country into the world's laughingstock!
3
You got it wrong: Trump and his associates are the anti-American ones. They care not a whit for your country and are using the office of the Presidency to enrich themselves. The Chinese just funneled a $500 M bribe to Trump and the Qataris hundreds of millions (I forget the exact amount) to the Kushners. Trump et al are bought and paid for. They are doing their masters' bidding by engaging in activities that are clearly anti-American (as in for the good of ALL Americans) and quite possibly treasonous.
You are just plain wrong.
7
The Trump Administration and his 40% base...making America great again with one unmitigated disaster after another. Putin and Xi Jinpang are heading for their summer dachas laughing all the way to their autocratic banking systems. The difference is that while Trump loves authoritarianism, he is not clever enough to make it work for anyone but himself. The result is colossal dysfunction in the Whitehouse. Perhaps the only sadder theater is watching the democrats flail as the loyal opposition. They too are hapless and follow CNN and MSNBC preoccupied with trump as president slut. For for shame it has come to this in the land of the free and home of the brave.
This country is in chaos with this admin. Trump appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. What will he do next?
1
I have some ideas but keeping them to myself.
Like my parents used to say, 'en boca cerrada, no entran moscas.' They had all kinds of sayings both in English and Spanish.....another one of my faves....'give em' enough rope and they'll hang themselves.' Remaining prayerful!
America needs to know only one thing: Xi honed his skills by surviving the Cultural Revolution during which time many have perished. China might have respected Nixon since the latter had survived his own disgrace and come back to become an informal advisor to Clinton. Trump is not even up to that Machiavellian level yet.
3
Trump is really making some mess of things: NK at the bargaining table, unemployment at an all time low, stock market at an all time high, China negotiating trade, Iran behind the eight ball. If this keeps up, he’ll be re-elected. Only the bitter, disaffected left-wing “Resistance” could see these things as negatives. And you call yourselves Americans?
I know he’s lucky Obama’s policies are holding. Embrace the truth and thou shall be free.
11
The headline begins "Trump’s Charm and Threats May Not Be Working on China." Perhaps there is a (very?) short list of the instances when the President's charm and threats have worked and as a public service you might publish such a list. If there are no entries on the list ...... Charm and threats probably aren't the way to solve difficult problems, particularly if the charm is pretty limited and the threats are pretty empty.
8
Trump lost, as soon as he walked back his campaign brays of a Two China policy.
1
Charm??
5
"Trump's charm"?
Trump + "charm" = oxymoron
6
If the two countries get into a real trade war, some part of Chinese industries would be killed and some part of American industries, say farming industries, would also be killed. Xi Jinping does not care at all because the public will be on his side for sure. Mr. Trump seems to be more democratic and does care. Yes, it is a charm.
If you think Trump is a little-d democrat, you need to adjust your medication. It's all plutocracy, perfectly antithetical to democracy, ALL the time with ALL Republicans, including Trump.
3
Chinese bargaining culture has been thriving, adapting to circumstances, and taking the measure of adversaries for centuries.
In comparison, Donald Trump was born yesterday around bedtime.
6
All countries know Trump can be bought and manipulated. These negotiators are smart and wily.
I just wish more of the American public was smart and would realize how Trump only has Trump's interests in mind, that he lies, that he has colluded, that he makes American foreign policy decisions to enrich himself and puts the US at risk. Kushner has done the same thing with the Qataris.
Trump is just full of hot air, a dotard that just wants attention. I wish that Democratic legislators would take more of a stand against Trump. The longer legislators let Mr. Trump make a total mess of things and enrich himself, many of the American public take the no action as an example that Trump is not doing anything wrong.
10
We must vote the GOP-NRA out this November.
12
Perhaps you haven't noticed, but Trump's "Charm" and Threats haven't worked anywhere else, either.
20
What charm, what threats? Only trump deludes himself into thinking he can roll with the big boys & girls, including Kim. End of the day, any world leader has to sit back with a glass of scotch and feel sorry for America and Americans.
12
It could also be that he realized how important China is in dealing with N. Korea, esp now that he knows he is not up to the task.
7
I must have missed something. The headline mentions Trump's "Charm." When has he been charming? I've seen anger. I've seen nastiness. I've seen bullying. I've seen contempt. I've seen envy. I've seen jealousy. I've seen insults. I've seen disparaging remarks against women. I've seen belittling remarks against a disabled newspaper reporter. But charm? When? Maybe to his children. But if they disappoint him, under the bus they go! Like his ex wives.
24
Stalin’s Compassion and Tenderness Not Working
5
"Trump’s Charm and Threats May Not Be Working on China. Here’s Why."
They're not Republicans.
18
Consideration must be given when countries like China, North Korea or Iran are involved is that too watch the news in the US.
They know that perhaps his political life may come to end long before the normal term of presidency ends. They have all the time in the world...a month, year or years means nothing to them.
As for the EU countries, they already are preparing for Trump is 'kicked" out office. All these countries both our allies and adversaries know Trump is a pathetic liar of epic proportions and cannot be trusted.
Let us just hope Trump without the approval of Congress goes to war with Iran...and another Middle Eastern horrific mistake.
Bosnia/Croatia/Sudan/Afghanistan/Iraq, South Sudan, Uganda & Somalia
1
After all that bellowing, Trump is a wuss. Each nation on earth knows now that they can give him a state dinner, state a military parade, or toss him a few gold gewgaws, and he's in their pocket.
Nothing he is attempting in foreign policy will avoid disaster, aided and abetted by the fumbling Pompeo and deranged Bolton.
15
Charm?
5
Obviously any country that would elect Donald Trump for its leader is a fool to be bilked for all its worth.
Let the bilking begin.
7
Let China try and whoop us in a trade war and drive us out of business and into bankruptcy. Who will that leave to buy all their cheap junk? Let’s just see who gets the last laugh. Sometimes I marvel at the idiocy of it all.
1
Did I misread one of the words in this article's headline, i.e., the word "charm." The last word I would associate with Monsieur Trump is "charm." No class, just crass.
8
Trump's "charm"???? CHARM???
9
"Charm"?
6
"Charm"?? what a weird headline for the most uncharming person ever.
10
His “charm” Mr. Bradsher? What planet do you inhabit?
7
Perhaps Trump should try his charm and threats on Japan, America's only other trading partner which arguably has an even more closed domestic market than China. America's annual trade deficit of USD 70 Billion with Japan is its second largest next only to China.
The head of Ford has called Japan the most closed market in the world. The American Automotive Policy Council's report, "How Japan has Maintained The Most Protected and Closed Auto Market In the Industrialized World" explains how Japan has perfected the art of using non-tariff barriers to keep its markets closed and why it ranks 30th out of 30 OECD countries in measuring access for imported autos.
Autos are just one example. Japan also imposes extremely high tariffs on many American agricultural products, including tariffs of as much as: 50 percent on processed beef products, 24 percent on poultry, 40 percent on dairy products, 661 percent on whey, 32 percent on fruit, 43 percent on juices, 1,000 percent on vegetables and pulses, 250 percent on wheat, 255 percent on barley, 21 percent on soybean oil, 600 percent on peanuts, 26 percent on processed products like coffee and 778 percent on rice.
It's hard to believe that with all the military and diplomatic support the U.S. provides Japan, it has so little clout that it cannot get Japan to open its markets to American companies or negotiate a fair and free bilateral trade agreement between the two countries. Sad!
7
Not only that, Steve, reference the May 1989 article from the Times noting that "the Forest Service is selling 500 year old trees for the price of a cheeseburger" from the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska.
Much or most of that resource went to Japan, owner of one of the two pulp mills processing the trees. At the time of the article, this practice had been going on for eight years.
Is the USA a sucker or merely traitorous?
Thanks for pointing this out. I am less concerned with trade deficit numbers than with trade regimes that the US accepts. They are not unfair because "we" accepted them. We must negotiate new terms that benefit both parties.
Trump says anything he wants without ever committing himself - or changes his mind and backs. That is how he ‘wins’ even when he loses.
The Chinese play the same game, but unlike Trump they are experts at it, and even their apparent losses are actually wins.
6
Everyone but a sizable chunk of the Trump electorate knew the "we're going to bring back manufacturing to America" was a farce. Look at Trump's import of not only material, but people for his stateside enterprises.
Messing with China over suzerainty in the South China Sea is just another neo-liberal distraction from trade issues that spiraled out of control years ago.
"Always lower prices" insured the place we're in today. Rectification is hard. In the meantime, plenty of sound & fury.
4
Exactly why is American in a trade deficit with every single country? Following current logic, which country we need to have a trade war on next?
2
We are being played by China and the great deal maker is the reason.
4
'Trump's Charm'? Perhaps this is a spring fever jest on the part of the author, but the cause of laughing out loud here in blissful solitude.
The only hope we have of avoiding a trade war with China, of all countries on Earth, with Trump in charge of our State of Affairs, is to vote him out of Office. Try telling half the Country diplomatically that he has to go, is no small potatoes.
Our farmers are having a rough time in Upstate New York, and Cuomo is not popular with many consumers. Meanwhile, Pence appears to be chomping at the bit. The rest of us are in some ongoing dangerous game of 'Blind Man's Bluff', and there seems to be no end in sight.
8
I think we should all imagine the skepticism from conservative pundits if a democratic president announced he was on the verge of a really good deal despite having no binding commitments or details and just leave it at that
5
Autobahns great!
Common language great!
Less unemployment great!
Advancements in science and technology great!
Showing others we're a force to be reckoned with ... errr.... perhaps not so great..
BUT there were lots of good things - great things indeed -- the self professed saviors of several European countries in days past accomplished.
So what ... all that good stuff does not endear them to me or should they to any rational sane civilized modern person.
Let me be clear -- Trump can not hold a candle to those "populist" figures of yore in relationship to their actual strategy, planning, and accomplishing - and indeed their actual philosophical commitment to help uplift the Country for all.
Yes it all went horribly wrong and yes it was obviously predictable that those characters would leave a trail of tears that no accomplishment could wipe away.
And yes even a bumbling over his head corrupt Trump may stumble into something beneficial for us. But his trajectory is set and will not be overall altered. Just like those tinpot dictators of days ago.
Stay the course with Trump/current GOP and we'll be needing a Marshall Plan.
Hope China and Europe will be so generous.
3
"Charm"-that's what we call it now. Yikes. I was looking for the right word to describe the President's stance with foreign countries. Charm was not one of the words that immediately came to mind, but, thank you NY Times for the planting the charm seed in my mind. Now when the President rants, raves, and bullies the leaders of other countries, I will consider it his "charm" at work.
6
This "charm" you reference in the headline, where is it in the actions discussed in the article? Where or when has Trump ever displayed any actual charm?
8
Okay New York Times, you've really tried me too much today. Your headline says that Trump's "charm and threats" are not working. I had to re-read the article to be sure I hadn't missed anything. There is not one mention of charm, although the article does exhaustively recount the ineffective bluster of the president. Further, I have never heard anything in any other area in the last many decades what charm played any part in descriptions of him. Was this news or wishful thinking? A joke? Passive aggressive disorder? Ritalin?
8
Look at Chinese citizens' savings rate, which finances their infrastructure. Why should the Chinese sacrifice their future by turning themselves into a nation of pigs? There are only 350 million Americans; yet, we import more junk than there is garbage to consume; and far more than China's 1.4 billion people import from us. What's wrong with that picture isn't Chinese consumption but America's insatiable appetite for sniffing even glue! We want EVERYTHING! We want to convert the world into US, but the world ain't havin' it. Different cultures do things differently; and America is no longer in a position to dictate.
My little ignorant uninformed prediction: Not only is America going to loose the current "trade war"; it's going to be exposed as a paper tiger. Respect for America is going to plummet internationally and the nations of the world are going to realign themselves around US.
Do you realize that if a Chinese person is flying around the world representing the Chinese government, undoubtedly, without exception, that person's job is the result of an exceptionally rigorous process of examination and performed leadership absolutely unknown to us! Love them or hate them; believe or not: What China does is on purpose; the result of thought and process.
The United States is getting ready to tango with a culture that's been dancing for 5,000 years. Trust me, China's got her groove back and we're about to be dipped, and let go.
18
You're cheer leading for the wrong team. Your articulate, self-congratulatory defeatism is alien
I am quite sure NYT is the first to use the word charm when describing Trump.
13
I have to admit that what got me to read this article were the words "Trump's Charm." I guess I learned a different meaning for 'charm' than what he displays. Bullying? Yes. Indifference? Sure. Disregard for the truth? Yup. But charm? Um, nope.
14
The Chinese clearly won round 1. But let's see how the North Korean meeting goes, and how much help the Chinese are in terms of facilitating a de-nuclearized Korean peninsula. The Trump Administration is not staffed entirely by fools, particularly on the trade front, so there are likely some trade offs on the table that we are not being told about.
Round 2 could be very different. If China doesn't cooperate on pressuring North Korea and the talks collapse, Trump then has nothing to lose and will impose tariffs. In other words I think the lifting of tariffs is a sign of goodwill to the Chinese in exchange for their work behind the scenes to pressure Kim Jong UN to abandon his weapons once and for all.
1
"The Trump Administration is not staffed entirely by fools"
Agreed. It's "mostly."
1
Our negotiating technique?
Easy!!!
Chaos.
10
China is clearly preparing to buy more goods from the US. That is better than the situation a month ago. Get real people, Trump may act like a buffoon but China is no longer rolling over us unchecked.
Trump's charm - very funny.
4
What America is learning is what most businesses who have dealt with Trump or his family in the past have all learned...he is never to be trusted and he will never honor the contracts that he signs.
Thus, be it China or N. Korea, or anyone else, they know better than to trust any commitments that he makes be they spoken or in writing. So most nations are simply walking away.
6
Strange. No body talks about win-win outcome as most negotiation should aim at. What's wrong with all of us? Is Trump bashing so important that we will allow it to take over everything?
Ha! Everything is zero-sum with Trump and you know it.
He's put us on an island and now that people are waking up to the danger of it, hopefully we can more quickly to end this disastrous experiment of giving too much power to a bloviating conman.
7
Shouldn't this be headed "Opinion" or at least "Politics"? It's a bit over the top, or, rather, crossing a line?
1
So sad to watch someone so full of himself that he things he can boonswoogle some really truly smart people. China has been around a whole lot longer than the United States and, at this rate, will be around a lot longer after we're dusty history as well. This president hastens our demise in ways he doesn't even begin to understand. I have a nice bridge I would love to sell him.
10
Why is there no mention in any of the various articles about this fiasco that point out that the Chinese government and its flunkies paid off the Trump organization with $1 billion to build trump land in Indonesia. All of the trade talk went away once was this was accomplished. Another great example of pay for play. Come on reporters, how difficult is it to connect the dots
12
Trump is the epitome of American know how! How proud I am to be an American caught in Trump world! When does this shameless and incompetent Administration end?
4
“Trump’s charm...” Thanks for the laugh.
11
If he was any where near to being competent he would know this!
1
Sadly this administration is all about novices. They are not capable of running a government. Now they fail here, N. Korea will not happen, and Europe is growing less patient with their inability as well. America is increasingly isolated by this pathetic leader.
6
What has Trump accomplished? Absolutely nothing.
What will Trump accomplish? Absolutely nothing.
Who will pay the price? The American worker.
9
“Who knew healthcare was so complicated?” “Trade wars are easy to win.” Being President lasts longer than thirteen episodes as President Trump is discovering, and it’s a very complex position. I’m sure I am not the only one to note that the President has aged quite a bit in the past year and a half. I don’t like the man, I think he’s rude, but some of his ideas are solid and re-negotiating trade with the other major players is one of those ideas. I think the Trump haters should lay off him on this one and let him try and negotiate with the Chinese. That picture on Twitter really tells a story, we need some younger people, people of color and women on our negotiating team - diversity of thought produces results.
3
If only you really got the deeper meaning of the picture you're referring too.
Look up the Boxer rebellion, the opium wars that led to it, and the "unequal trade deals" that came from these events that destroyed the Qing, brought a "century of humiliation" and accounted for at least 100 million deaths by starvation alone.
Trump tries to claim America's trade deals before him are the worst in history, even though through them we came to own a quarter of the entire world's wealth.
Meanwhile, the Chinese were at rock bottom 100 years ago after a string of trade deals forced upon them at cannon mouth that left them with nothing.
Now look at that picture again, think about how it's circulating NOW, and ask yourself if you think the Chinese have forgotten what the West has done to them in the past.
If you need a hint, look up the plot line of the Orphan of Zhao.
3
I give Trump credit for raising awareness of the disparity between other countries and ours. Even if we gain a little of what we have lost back it's better than no gain at all. So what he is not a master negotiator. Let's all get on the same team and win one for the U.S.
That mentality is much of the problem. Trade is not a zero-sum game. It’s possible for everyone to lose. Our child-in-chief is likely to bring on that outcome.
7
Charm?
6
China invested $500 mil in Trump's Indonesian project.... that's the concession, for Trump personally... the rest he doesn't care about...
19
Some Chinese came to America and talked to some Americans. Then they left with tariff threats wrapped in wax paper and left nothing behind. What a great win for Trump! Gosh, I'm getting so tired of winning...
3
The irony of all this is Trump has a decent message; China does not play fair. The problem for our long term financial health is that Donald Trump is incompetent on the world stage. His only skill is bluster with a dash of name calling. Then he makes a worse deal than before and calls it a win.
He has no clue what he's doing and thinks their flattery is sincere when it's really a major league pitcher throwing hard balls at the Little League player.
8
Trump believes in he continues talking nonsense and changing his positions he will wear down his adversaries. In fact, when it comes to China, North Korea and Iran he is simply confusing himself. Now that he tried his tantrum method, his only option is to start a war. The U.S. is not in a good place with his disastrous leadership.
3
Trump won't get everything he wants, but anything is better than what Obama got. What the NYT doesn't understand is, this isn't the United Nations. Charm, style, and popularity don't determine the outcome. Leverage does. We have a lot of leverage, but China has some too.
The unseen elephant in the room during the US - China bilateral trade negotiations is North Korea. China has forced North Korea to the table and will likely force a peace agreement in exchange for concessions from the US on trade negotiations and perhaps with other issues, as well.
Trump will likely be happy to lose some trade chips to the Chinese in exchange for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.
What is needed to negotiate with anyone in this world of ours someone who doesn't self aggrandize, negotiators that understand the world of trade and economics, and real diplomats.
Unfortunately, we have no one in this "administration" that fits.
Who knew that negotiating would be so hard. But, we are winning.
Trump is playing checkers while the Chinese are playing 3D chess.
4
I understand that Trump has warped and degraded the national discourse, and that lies are presented as truth, but have we also reached the point where “charm” now means “repulsiveness”?
3
“It is kind of unrealistic — and if Chinese officials agree, they will face a lot of pressure from public opinion,” Which implies that the Chinese public are able to evaluate the actions of their leaders. Why can't the American public do the same? They just accept what the liar-in-chief says "Everyone says I should win the Nobel Peace Prize" No, Donnie. Not everyone.
He’s delusional - and nothing will change that. Over 60 million people voted for him. Some of course were suckered in by this film-flam creature. But millions should have known better. That they did not is an outrage.
6
If this were easy, it would already be done.
3
After that many bankruptcies and loans - Trump still hasn't learned that you can't effectively threaten your creditors with the loss of your business?
5
"Charm?" What charm? He's about the least charming person I've ever even thought of.
8
From first hand experience, the Chinese are well organised and good long term focussed negotiators.
Team Trump is not too organised and showmanship is one of its determinants.
The next tweet may give a hint, but as we hear frequently......"we'll see".
One of the concerns which lurks in the background, is the US "paper" China holds, which, if an item in the negotiation for the associated risk China perceives, could be a deal influencer.
Let's hope this comes out to both party's satisfaction with less ego and more sanity in the equation.
2
Of course talks with China, North Korea, Iran and others will go nowhere. No one wants to come to the table under threats and intimidation. There has be to be a degree of trust and respect on both sides. Trump doesn't respect anyone but himself, and at this point no one trusts him. He also refuses to accept that negotiations involve give and take. You rarely will get everything you want; you have prioritize what is a non starter and what you can give on. No one has ever pushed back against him and he doesn't know how to handle it.
3
Well, comparing "lawmakers," (that is senior members of the House of Reps in the picture) with the Chinese negotiating team isn't exactly "apples to apples." And the Chinese government is also pretty confused!
Xi is playing Trump; China will buy 300 Billions $ of gold in the USA,it will change the statistics and Trump will then has a HUGE WIN...Sanctions reported to 2020
In order to negotiate "great deals" both parties have get something, ie win win. Because Trump lacks empathy, is ignorant of the world, won't take advice, and openly mocks Asians, you can pretty much expect a poor outcome. As the general manager of a business with a huge % of it tied up in China, I cringe at the thought of this man involved in any business transaction more complicated than selling a house. Sure, he's rich, but he'd be substantially less rich if he actually paid people and took ownership of the deals he's made. He got rich at the selling the concept of being wealthy and stiffing contractors. It's one thing to stiff a general contractor (wrongful and immoral), it's another thing to try and stiff a world power. Consequences: great, small, and likely unforeseen for all.
9
How come the “intellectual elites” ( ny times readers) can’t see what is going on?
Tariffs are bad says the times. A chart of stocks ( at that point down) showed how dumb trump was and his base for thinking this is good idea.
Now he delays them, whilst getting a China commitment not unlike china’s environmental commitment to obama applauded by the times.
Now lightweight commitments are recognized as such. Delaying tariffs a bad thing. And meanwhile this all is how negotiators do things. It took 2.5 years for Jcpoa. No problem that their objectives of on the spot inspections ( vs 24 days) and a stop to nuclear weapons ( vs 10 year delay) was the final final deal.
We are 7 weeks into the process with quasi progress and the incredibly smart Tomes readers can ( shocker) declare Trump a failure. No thought as to being on both sides of imposition of tariffs or some progress or that the negotiations are far from over- just declare it a bad thing and forget you just reversed position on all principles.
Trump has charm! I must be living on another planet or I'm watching and reading "real news." Trump has about as much charm as an elephant in a china shop.
5
trump shoots first with a blustering twit.
The rest of his staff aim at their own favorite "target-du-jour". Just saying. No plan. No cohesion. No government.
3
I have been in China about 6 weeks in the past 3 years. It is quite clear they are eating our lunch.
5
Trump's "charm"? Please. The only people that fall for that are his base. Everyone else knows he can be plied and played with false fawning praise.
8
Trump's charm? Ask Stormy Daniels about Trump's charm. Trump's threats? The threats of a blowhard. And Xi really isn't interested in being in the next episode of "the Apprentice". Still wonder why China won't play nice with Trump?
8
For him to win concessions from China, the Chinese would have to take Trump seriously. TPP was a real threat to their economic hegemony and he withdrew from it. Without the trade treaty, the greatest leverage Trump had was presenting a unified front with most of the countries who trade with China and who also harbor grievances over their routine theft of intellectual property and ever growing territorial claims. But of course, Trump has alienated all our allies and would be allies. How could the Chinese take him seriously?
8
Trump's basic plan of attack and his business tactics are now very well known and are being used against him both in his international relatons and domestic. Xi, Kim, Avanetti, and others are playing him quite well.
Trump it appears is actually easy to get a rise from and now his adversaries know just how to do it.
Add in the fact that most of the issues like trade, health insurance, even legality of his actions are beyond his pay scale and he dooms himself by acting on his own or with little trained expertise.
No, Donald, that big chocolate cake at Mar a Lago was hardly enough to keep Xi or China happy.
7
Trade wars are easy to win.
5
Behind closed doors, I have to believe the Chinese are laughing at the guy.
22
Charm? Perhaps the headline refers to the chocolate cake at Mar-A-Lago that certainly impressed the host. If there's charm, I sure can't see it. And if he tried it, who would believe a man who lies all the time.
9
“Trump’s Charm and Threats May Not Be Working on China”
Charm? What charm?
13
Trump is an embarrassment to this country.
The world never laughed at us before as DT would have us believe.
They are sure laughing now- especially Russia, China and NK.
Everyone knows DT has mental disorders and is easily manipulated.
His advisors are sycophants and beyond their depth.
Even when DT leaves the WH, the damage done will continue to be a nightmare for decades.
8
Trump's bluster and lies not working over there, huh?
We should be so lucky.
11
Charm, don't make me laugh. Trump has about as much charm as a rattlesnake.
8
Trump lacks the comprehensive view and sweeping knowledge of detail necessary to negotiate a trade pact that would turn around the balance of payments while maintaining amicable relations with one of the world's biggest economies and military powers. Trump is a man used to walk-on roles in reality television, shallow, thinly-plotted productions in which he did not need to study for a role or relate to other characters. The Chinese realize that they are negotiating some of the most important issues of money and power in the world, and that they are working with an amateur.
12
Arrogance and ignorance are a dangerous combination.
Beyond that, it is astounding that free-market-at-all-costs conservatives are standing around watching Trump try to pick winners and losers.
11
I've watched over the past decade as China Inc. has basically cornered the market for consumer electronics. Most of the LCD panels used in HDTVs and 4K TVs are "fabbed" in China. LG and Samsung have had to build LCD fabs in China to compete and sell into the world's largest middle class market.
A Chinese company, Haier, bought GE's appliance business a couple of years ago. (Did you miss that news item?) Another Chinese company wanted to buy GE's diesel locomotive business, which is moving from Erie, PA to Fort Worth, TX. Lattice Semiconductor was almost bought by yet another Chinese firm.
Those readers who think Trump can get the upper hand on Beijing are whistling past the graveyard. Think of the Chinese proverb about "teaching a man how to fish" and you can understand what's going on with U.S. - China trade relations.....
4
One way to look at Trump's strategy is to look through the eyes of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Issue: quantum encryption key distribution. China: Has a satellite system to distribute quantum bits. US: nope. Advantage: China. Issue: Quantum computing. China: ahead of US. US: behind China. Advantage: China. Issue: Solar/Global Warming. China: Building key components such as solar panels. US: Trump denies global warming exists. Advantage: China. Issue: Electric cars. China: wants to become the global leader. US: let the free market decide. Advantage: China.
Unless STEM issues are thought through, as the Chinese do, we will lose in the long run.
8
And on an unrelated note, scientists and engineers dominate many positions in the Chinese government.
https://gineersnow.com/leadership/chinese-government-dominated-scientist...
But hey, we have Real Politicians who do politics and they sure don't need no stink'in science to vote for more tax cuts, more coal plants, aircraft carriers, nukes, and a bigger button.
/very sarcastic
6
More alarming Sen. Lindsey Graham's comments yesterday regarding the status of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit:
If they nickel and dime Trump and if they try to run out the clock on President Trump then we're gonna have a conflict and it's gonna be in his first term and I'm highly confident.
Correct me if I'm wrong. It sounds like Senator Graham is saying if Trump can't get a deal WAR with N. Korea is ON.
Are we so numb NOW this comment on WAR is ignored?
7
I do not understand how one might find Trump's charm. I have never seen it so it must have been lost for quite some time.
2
The Chinese government employs a 2-on-1 strategy to strangle every industry in the world - they already manufacture every commodity on the planet and now they're coming after your livelihoods, too. They offer companies "savings" to offshore their industries while gutting businesses at home who take the bait. Checkmate. Then they yield their new power to exert pressure to extract new concessions. Not just here, all over the globe. Our politicians call it "investment", and educated people who read (but not much), and ask questions (but not many) go along.
This is what we are fighting and should be talking about. China is a rival and powerhouse that our system of government did not evolve to fight. Trump did.
This is arguably the most important issue of our time. It is non-partisan. And Trump is NOT Republican (though you say he is).
It's ironic how readers jump on the bandwagon to hurl invective against any shiny object that contains words like "Trump", "Orange Hair", "Stormy Daniels", "Michael Cohen", "the Russians" etc. China actually merits your attention (not very long). You are as ignorant, ill-informed, and as afraid as Trump's base.
The Chinese power structure can see right through him; unfortunately for us, his base is not able or willing to do the same. Accordingly, the Chinese are going to eat American business's lunch because of Trump's concept of a trade "deal", and probably their dinner and tomorrow's breakfast, too.
4
A "simple problem" is an oxymoron. If it were simple, it wouldn't be a problem. A problem is only simple to someone who doesn't understand the dimensions of the question, hence simple people think problems are simple. Trump thinks his great brain can solve any conundrum in seconds, despite others having toiled over it for protracted periods of time. His view is simplistic; who would have guessed it would be so complicated?
4
Trump has always been a horrible negotiator, he has no understanding of policy issues (domestic or foreign), and he is easily sucked in by anyone who flatters him.
He is in over his head and obviously being played.
8
Trump’s charm? What am I missing? Is it his looks? His speaking abilities? His likability?
The guy is a babbling , incomprehensible buffoon. Nobody who’s charmed by him has any business negotiating anything that can benefit America.
9
You liberals can't stand it when Trump puts American interests first. Is the current disaster of gigantic deficits that export millions of jobs the liberal idea of a successful policy? The free ride for the chicomms and the rest of the Socialist paradises are over. Get used to winning. MAGA
Gigantic deficits? See GOP tax cuts - under GOP presidents Reagan, Bush II, and Trump.
Exporting millions of jobs? See GOP's laissez faire corporate, "Pro-business" policies - i.e. "the market will take care of everything".
If this is [our country] winning, I'd hate to see what losing looks like.
An important thing Trump and others are forgetting is, that the American domination is on the way out. Not because the US is doing worse, it's just the numbers. Asia's industry is growing and they have way bigger markets than the rest of the world together.
It's just a numbers game.
A good read: Factfulness by Hans Rosling.
6
CHARM!!! Good grief. Charm and Trump should not be in the same sentence.
8
Why should the NY Times attribute charm to Trump in a news in the headline of a news article?
2
Hint: sarcasm.
2
China is not "stupid" they are wise in the ways of the world ( they've had thousands of years to learn). And they are not weak. They need not yield to any entity.
So Trump and whomever he represents (Americans) are certain to lose.
4
Most unusual to see Trump in a buttoned coat, hiding his extra-long tie. This must be half-a-concession to dress code.
1
The Chinese have seen con men like Trump come and go for many centuries before our USA ever was born.
11
Many of those who subscribe to Trump's twitter feed swallow his nonsense and they think he's doing all the wonderful things he promised. They have no way of knowing otherwise and point proudly to his accomplishments.
This is reality as experienced by nearly half the country. They think he's building the wall, and they think he bullied Little Rocket Man into submission, and they think NAFTA negotiations are yielding big results for the USA, and they think Trump beat the Chinese at their own game. He tells the lies and baffles them with a blizzard of baloney and they buy it.
10
And then he(we) go bankrupt.
3
There is no there, there. Here is a great title for a book about Trump, “The President that never was.”
4
Speak loudly and carry a little stick. Great negotiating strategy.
7
The reason Trump dumped the trade war with China is because the bribed him with $500 million (purportedly for an Indonesian project; but let’s be real).
The New York Times needs to acknowledge the elephant in the room on this story.
6
Trump's charm and threats aren't working on about 60% of America, so I don't know why they'd work on China.
7
Chiba doesn’t respect Trump for the same reasons no one else does. We all see how weak and unintelligent he is, and how weak that makes his position. He has given away the game before he even started playing.
4
Charm? Really?
If that doesn't work throw some personal money his way. Suppose the Chinese won't mind queuing up behind the Russians.
4
What is unclear to me is, 'who is in charge in the US in these negotiations?' Very hard to have a winning position without clear decision making and accountability.
Trump's charm? That's a concept I can't wrap my head around.
4
Trump's erratic oscillations on China (and trade generally) are a sorry symptom of our decline, not the problem. For decades American manufacturers have moved their production and transferred vital technical knowledge to China, resulting in that we have today - a US (and global) supply chain that is almost completely dependent on Chinese manufacturers. The business rationale was reducing costs, increasing profit margins and having access to the huge Chinese market. The US government rationale was the pipe dream that increased US investments in China would serve as a pathway for China's democratization.
American companies successfully lobbied past Congresses and both Republican and Democratic administrations to ensure that there would be few trade barriers to this arrangement, resulting in the hollowing out of US manufacturing and an escalation of national security risks - the Chinese have acquired virtually all of our innovative technologies and production know-how.
Unlike the Chinese, we have lost any meaningful capacity to play the long game - for reaching consensus and implementing a comprehensive strategy to ensure that America can refashion itself for the latter part of the 21st century. "Charm" and "threats" are hollow tactical approaches in the absence of a sustained national commitment to re-establish US leadership in services and manufacturing, and support a growing economy for our citizens.
6
"Who knew that trade wars could be so complex?"
4
..., yes, well thought out and geopolitically balanced trade strategies from the man, who brought you Trump Steaks; ohh, wait ...
One is thoroughly amused that some people still assume that President Trump has a grand strategy supporting whatever it is that he’s tending to.
News flash: President Trump doesn’t - and the Chinese ( most other sovereign states) know that all too well.
8
Some elements reported here are contradicting to what’s really happening. For one thing, almost everyone in Chinese business community knows that China will buy more from US, even the specific has not been announced.
Also it is troubling to see main stream media in US still holds incredible narrow view on what China could buy. Make 10 million Chinese tourists come to US, and let them to spend 10 thousand usd each is already 100 billon.
Great plan for addressing our deficit, but I am unclear on the specifics:
How do you make 10 million Chinese tourists come here and spend $10,000 each? On what? To go shopping for all the "Made in China" imports at Walmart and Macy's et al.? To go see our national parks and natural attractions Zinke, Pruitt and Trump are auctioning off to the highest bidder by the hour?
And assuming that you get 10 million Chinese tourists to come here and spend $10,000 each on something, then what do you do next year? And the year after that?
1
Trump's charm? His own wife won't hold hands with him:)
Dick Cheney has more charm than Trump.
8
Countries like China, Russia and those in Europe realize they are working with a fool and will never trust a word that comes out of his mouth. They play him .
4
Is it possible that Orange Man's so-called "charm and threats" aren't working on China? I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that China, with a history of over 5000 years, is leaving us in the dust in terms of progressing into the future with a sound infrastructure, solid business models, improving rather than diminishing protections for workers etc etc etc. Not only has the tide turned against the US based on demographics but we, the American public, has accelerated our decline ten fold by electing a government hellbent on enriching the few, allowing our infrastructure to crumble and our citizens to fall ill, so long as the one half of one percent (which control about 20 percent of the total wealth) gorge themselves even more. The moment I heard the Chinese president say "You want Democracy? You listening to the tenor of the presidential campaign?" back in 2016, I knew once and for all that our democracy was always a sham and that we have spent our lives being told lies about our "liberty" and believing those lies for way too long. The sky is clearing but too late - the Angel of Death is already sitting at a desk in the Oval Office.
4
"Trump'a Charm" First time I ever saw those two words together. Must be analogous to a Viper's Smile.
4
The only thing that China, and we, are certain of is that Trump accepts bribes and is swayed by them. Even in bribery-prone China, $500 Million of "tea money" for a theme park in Indonesia is huge.
8
We're seeing in his dealings with Kim as well as China that the puffed and fluffed "art of the deal" is more like the art of the schlemiel. So much for The Donald on the big stage. As we used to say about hot talk about not-so-hot cars, on the big stuff Trump is all blow and no go. And quite possibly that's a good thing.
3
It seems obvious that what can be China's big strike on this issue is the power to control the share that US companies will have in China's domestic market. As much as it is said that the U.S. goods and services have good acceptance among the Chinese, the idea that the American share into the Chinese market is bound to the the U.S. trade threats make it intolerable for the Chinese people. Only ask the Japanese if this is not true, based on what happened to the Japanese trade troubles inside China, just right after the surge of the Diaoyu question.
Never thought of ‘charm’ and Trump in the same sentence - unless ‘nonexistent’ is included.
5
Has Trump canceled his order to Commerce Secretary Ross to "get it done," i.e., find some way for the US government to help ZTE? The administration statement that the President "wants to be very tough" with ZTE sounds like empty rhetoric. The Chinese government's financial assistance to the Trump family project in Indonesia could be withdrawn unless Trump finds a way to follow through on his willingness to help ZTE.
2
This is the least of it. Next thing we are going to see China moving in on its neighbors. At which point Trump will say, It is not in our national interest to get involved in local disputes, especially with his good friends the Chinese. Russia takes Crimea ? No Problem. China takes Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines ? No problem. Israel crushes the Palestinians? No problem. Trump is too busy making America great to worry about other nations. Indeed, he just wishes he could run as tight a ship as his good buddies there do.
2
Actually, they are. China has agreed to the largest increase of imports from the U.S. in decades. Instead of the trade routes being one direction, they are opening up a return route.
No matter what you like to claim, the fact is, Trump's policies are working.
Now turn and twist on that, LOL
1
And which policies, exactly, would those be? With all if the constant contradiction coming out of this administration (a good example is provided in this article), you need a program to tell the players (which also change frequently).
China over the centuries has watched as the west trampled over her people and lands in their colonialist ambitions. They have been lied to by barbarians even worse than Trump if possible that that could be. They may appear open and obliging but they have known that self interests are more important than talk long before Trump crept upon the scene.
Trump's 'charm' and threats do not make them tremble for they know how to play the game of foreign diplomacy far better than our would be deal maker and wanna be dictator. In this game China may play polite, but they can be ruthless and cunning and Trump will meet his match.
2
Trump's charm and threats are lost on the Chinese. They would have thrown him in a basement or chained him to a machine in a factory long before this.
Perhaps Trump should reflect on his weird, childlike approach to both China and Korea and understand that in either one of those countries he would most likely be considered a mental defective.
Mr. Trump should think twice about calling Kim Jong-un "rocket man" as he may, if he continues on the path he has chosen, find himself on the business end of a rocket launcher in some stadium in...Utah, after our country has been defeated by Russia, China and North Korea in "WW Trump".
1
I'm so sorry, but you may not write the phrase, "Trump's Charm." Yes, I know, headlines are written by headline writers, but please . . .
2
Cheeky to cheeky. Probably ok for us, the US.
Hmmm. Today's equity markets appear not to be in sync with the NY Times' views on Trump's strategy with the Chinese. Based on today's sharp increase in equity prices, there appears to be an expectation that those strategies will be successful and that the Chinese will take steps to meaningfully reduce the current trade deficit and there will be no trade war. Could it be that the NY Times' news reporting on Trump isn't balanced? Nah.
Trump’s charm!!!!! I must have missed that day.
3
I have a customer in Congers, NY that is Brazilian. She owns part of a soybean farm (through her family). She says that the Chinese have already switched at least a portion of the soybean purchasing to Brazil and she is ecstatic. I would assume that this means that some USA farmers are extremely unhappy. His bluster is coming home to roost.
7
" I would assume that this means that some USA farmers are extremely unhappy."....No. They are perfectly happy as Fox is their only news resource.
2
If the goal of negotiations was to get rid of unfair 'local partner' requirements and exposures that would be good. But if you just want to adjust volume of sales, I thought the point of capitalism was to compete on the quality of your products?
2
But President Trump is the master deal maker. The problem is, nobody seems to know this but the president himself.
4
Of course “charm and threats” don’t work against a strong adversary with a coherent negotiating strategy. Grim times for the US... and the western world, as Russia and China flex their muscles.
3
Trump and the word "charm" in the same headline? You're kidding I hope.
4
Who would have thought making trade deals was so complicated???
9
The headline lost me at 'Trumps's charm'
6
Past administrations have allowed China to both steal U.S. patented technologies and illegally subsidize Chinese companies. If this continues most all of U.S. comparative advantage will be lost in 20 years. Good bye U.S. jobs.
"Who knew trade deals could be so complicated?"
We knew, we all knew. The US needs to look at trade like one can look at the flow of water down a river. The path of least resistance gets the major flow of water (and in this analogy; money).
Trade tariffs and trade wars are the attempt to build alternate tributaries and dams. Neither which work because only during a good flow of water, do the alternate tributaries get water, and dams need to always be designed with release valves and the cost of building and maintaining these trade dams produces little or no value, but rather does the worst thing possible. It makes the poor and middle class carry the burden of the dam and the cost of making tributaries.
No, the best way to deal with trade deals is to make what people want. Airplanes are still in demand, so are Hollywood movies, software and technology is in demand, but the barriers of entry are not there to give the tech industry an long term advantage unless it adopts continuous innovation and improvement; essentially become a moving target. Weapons of war is the biggest US export, but the world tires of war as they bear the cost while the US arms manufacturers rake in the money. Trade is much more beneficial to a society than war. The Middle East is the last hoopla for war. Oil and coal are no longer what progressive countries are looking for, so the US energy companies need to move to renewables to remain competitive.
Trump should let Bibi Netanyahu handle any negotiations with China. And, come to think of it, with North Korea too.
4
"a joint statement by officials from the two countries that did not commit China to any specific concessions."
Are we tired of winning yet ?
2
China saw Trump for a Chump from a mile away. My guess is that when they realized he was so easily manipulated, and so cheaply bought, they passed word to Kim Jong Un, and that is why the North Korean talks will be held.
2
Note to Times: Fire Your headline writers. Immediately.
7
So Trump is nothing more than jelly on a plate.
5
The Chinese are difficult to "scrut," and I believe the POTUS and cronies are too clever by half. Used to competing only with the Democrats in Congress, they have little experience in competitive adversarial negotiations and along with the POTUS's delusional dreams Noble, I anticipate little better result in Pyongyang...Kim would be advised to remember, you cannot believe anything a liar tells you.
1
well, i think you can claim the prize for most bombastic, least insightful. and doggone it, you earned it.
3
The only deal making Trump cares about is that which personally enriches him. I will be surprised if we don't see more deals like last week, where a gift from a foreign government to Trump's personal businesses results in Trump selling out the American people's security or prosperity to that same foreign government.
1
Did you really need to use the word "Charm" in a headline relating to Trump? There is absolutely NOTHING charming about him. There are many adjectives to describe Trump, and I seriously can't think of any flattering ones.
3
Most people see right through Trump’s “charm”, including leaders of other countries. I’ve lived in NYC for years and literally everyone I know found him ridiculous and definitely not charming. He is transparent.
3
The Chinese leadership would probably die of shame if they knuckled under or chummed up to a clownish figure like Trump.
3
Only fool would be "charmed", to believe in any agreements with a serial lier! There will not be any such "deals" by any major world countries.
2
"Who knew trade could be so complicated?"
1
Can we please all agree that instead of carrying a large stick Mr Trump dangles a wet noodle?
No one fears his strength but are terrified by his many dysfunctions.
5
Trump is fake . He claimed it would be a piece of cake getting a better deal. He may be good at making deals to fill his own pockets but he is a babe in the woods dealing with our bad guys in the world like Russia and China.
4
Have you stopped to consider that the North Korea negotiations and the Chinese Tariffs rhetoric are linked? Trump is playing a dangerous game whereby he is using the threat of tariffs to force the Chinese to fix the North Korea mess in the sole effort to grab headlines. China has demonstrated that NK leader is their puppet (the only two foreign visits he made) and are now asking Trump to show his hands.
“Trump’s Charm and Threats May Not Be Working on China“
For the love of God, I hope not.
2
Why would anyone make a deal with Trump when he's just been breaking deals because of Obama envy?
He is not a reliable.
3
Charm!
Who are you talking about?
11
Charm? Threats? If charm is threats and threats are toothless, then that's Donald Trump.
7
The Chinese already have Trump largely figured out.
1. He'll say whatever depending on the audience.
2. He's driving the US in to a position of isolation.
3. He's surrounded himself with a group of people who are also in over their heads.
4. He has neither the discipline, patience, or interest to understand details.
5. He doesn't like science or trust it.
6. His ego must be stroked often. His image is everything. He can never be wrong and never is.
7. He has and can be bribed.
8. He's alienated the majority of US voters. They don't have his back and he doesn't have theirs.
9. Unless convenient, he doesn't give a rats behind about human rights.
9. The formula for China to keep winning negotiations with the US to patiently exploit these many weaknesses and keep their long plan on track.
21
Adults do not find juvenile behavior charming.
9
Perhaps becauae he lacks charm and his threats are empty
8
Apparently no one in the Trump Administration has heard the phrase: "The Chinese play the very long game." Trump's twitter tariff war was started as an impulse, the shortest of games.
Mr. Trump is now truly in a corner. If he cannot negotiate a deal, he is stuck with two very bad and dangerous choices for himself and possibly the country. Start the tariff game and lose a great number of his supporters in agriculture and the upper mid-west while driving up prices or back down from China and lose the rest of his base because he lost on a major promise to his base. If Trump does make a deal, you an bet he will attempt to sell it as a win, but China will probably come out with the upper hand.
Mr. "Let's make a Deal" is in deep on this twitter disaster-in-the-making. If Vegas was taking bets; I would guess the odds would be with China. Let's see where Wall Street places their bets, and our investments.
6
Witness the fruits of amateurism in action. Good thing being US president is an entry-level job. At least Trump has certainty on his side.
"To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it." – Henry Kissinger
13
Kenny Rogers explained the art of the deal in his song "The Gambler", "you have to know when to hold them, know when to fold them and know when to walk away". But his real nugget was that "the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep". If you go through life, successful, ordinary, a star, a goat the best that you can hope for is the love of someone else and to die in your sleep. I wonder if Melanie loves him or if the affairs with the mistress and the affairs with the other mistress make her bitter. The Art of Life.
2
My husband and I hired a well-regarded financial planning person to invest and manage a lot of our retirement savings. He is steady, reliable and smart. We feel safe with him and he has made good decisions for us. Now, there is this wacky President managing our country for us. Many of his decisions will also affect our finances and retirement funds. He is NOT steady, reliable or smart. We can fire our financial guy if we feel he is doing a bad job or making poor decisions. We are STUCK (for now) with this dimwit of a President who has power over our future. It is the most helpless and scary feeling to know that at any point, much of what we saved for and planned for could be upended by a man who doesn't care one whit about the American people. And, by the way, he seems to have managed to make an awful lot of money while being President. This is maddening.
12
Charm? Is that what you call threat, intimidation and bullying?
3
"Trump’s Charm and Threats May Not Be Working on China."
They're not working anywhere else either.
Donald is despised, ridiculed and written-off worldwide.
6
Trump is selling out the USA for personal gain. Period.
15
Childe Donald's pilgrimage plods on. A new lesson every day. The big question is whether he can get the hang of this nasty foreign trade mumbo-jumbo before the dementia takes a more serious turn.
Forfeiting his strongest card, ZBT, on the opening round was probably not a really wise move. Even the Munchkin understands that. Good thing everybody gets that Trump is a chronic liar. It makes walking the dumb stuff back a little easier.
2
Isn't "Trump's Charm" an oxymoron?
5
No. The Right Wing find him charismatic. Like Cult Level
charismatic. Trump can do no wrong on any issue in their eyes.
1
Charm?! An odd adjective for someone who's tweets are often aggressive and mean-spirited. I will give you threats because that's what he seems to do best--beside watching Faux News.
4
It is obvious that we are losing the trade wars engineered by President Trump. The Chinese and their young, with it delegation, they do their homework might come ahead or lose little. Not a good prognosis. Hold on tight America. The deficit will grow even larger, the deficit designed by the Republicans!!!
4
The only thing trump is winning is the prize for worst president in history.
If this is a win, I'm sick of winning.
7
Negotiating with an egotistical flake, whose only conscious objective is costing someone else face to count himself the victor, is a silly waste of time.
4
No matter how bad the deal with China and North Korea, Israel and Iran, Mr. Trump and his supporters will claim victory. He repeats over and over that everything is a success that only he could have achieved. That's his secret, like all good con men, to find willing participants.
He is a salesman not a negotiator. All of his deals eventually failed and it's why he has to keep moving, like a shark, to cover the Ponzi scheme that is his business.
3
So far President Trump has made exactly "zero", Nada, zip deals. He's crowed about it a lot, but we haven't seen anything yet. All he seems to do is the easy things, like get out of deals that other better negotiators have made.
3
By and large Trump’s “deals” in the past have been with people he could intimidate. He is now discovering that you can’t intimidate the Chinese the way you can intimidate sub-contractors. The Chinese, and other nations for that matter, want to deal with someone who isn’t flipping back and forth and making no sense. The sad thing is that whatever happens, Trump will call it a win and his base will believe him.
8
Charm ?
I would really like to know:
what % of your readers think Trump has zero charm and there is no reason anyone would ever think otherwise.
Charm ?
what on earth were you thinking ?
you at the NYT don't seem to get it: There is an active war, between a small number of rich people, their troops, the GOP, and the rest of America
There are no neutrals
this headline will be treasured in the future
2
China is a trade abuser. The Chinese take advantage of American open markets, while carefully protecting their own. That isn't free trade. Chinese corporations are often government owned and are immune from market forces. They over produce and dump their products upon the western economies, thereby threatening our economies. They require western corporations to partner with Chinese companies and to share their technology with Chinese sub contractors in order to do business in China. That's not free trade. Chinese companies steal western technology, but the Chinese judicial system offers no relief. Again, not free trade.
At some point, America and the western economies must be willing to face up to China's abuses. Unfortunately, the Trump administration probably lacks the intelligence, patience or negotiating skill to properly renegotiate the relationship.
1
You are right, there are major problems with trade. You are also right that trump lacks the patience, intelligence, etc. to deal with the real world wide problems of trade (or many other problems in foreign policy, defense, etc.) Many of Trump's supporters don't have the intelligence or knowledge to know what is going on either.
Trump's charm? Huh?
6
Gee, maybe Trump doesn't have what it takes to play in the Majors. Hmm?
4
Charm? You mean calling them currency manipulators and threatening to shut down major businesses in their country, only to relent when he realizes he needs their help to win the Nobel Peace Prize? That charm?
1
Charm? I thought I was reading The Onion.
7
What an awkwardly twisted, onerously non-factual collection of snide jabs at the ongoing, very likely and very successful rounds of negotiations with China our President has navigated.
There is just no end here to the sore losers, whether it's on trade, the insultingly tiny footnote re: the appointment of America's first female CIA Director, or the evasive avoidance of admitting to how the Mueller inquisition has ruined lives and corrupted the politics of our national elections: America is winning again on so many fronts for the first time in years, but you'd never know it by these reports.
1
As funny as I find these little tirades about how handing China or North Korea a couple major concessions in return for precisely bupkis, that's really WINNING! Well, I certainly share your weeping sorrow for lil'angils such as Mike Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone.
Why, a white man cain't even go to an RT dinner with Putin and grab a fat consultancy check, sit on the board of a Cyprus bank with Putin's main money-launderer and rake in millions, or brag about the release of stolen e-mails that a foreign government is using against us no more.
It's them lib'ruls, ain't it?
4
Which country has embraced this grifter and professional con-man?
4
I have experience negotiating with China. Good people and fair negotiators who stick to their word once they give it. But smart and brilliant negotiators. Trump could well be out off office before a final deal is struck with China. They do not need to hurry and they will nit pick the details until you pull your hair out. Trump's twitter fingers do not have the patience or intellect to negotiate with China. My money is on China.
13
Trump is a grifter. He's never succesfully negotiated a ‘tough’ deal in his life. All of his ‘deals’ have either been defrauding suckers (e.g. Trump “University”) or desperately looking the other way as Mafiosos pumped stolen money through his failed real-estate laundromats.
9
Charm? What charm? I watch the news closely (hours on end) to monitor what 45 is up to (I don't want to be surprised). How did I miss the charm? I have seen large amounts of childish reactions, rage, anger, hissy fits, delusions, paranoia, bullying, hate speech, xenophobia, misogyny, and what appears to be bribery. How did I miss the charm???
3
Trump folded like a cheap suit regarding tariffs on China. He is all bluster and doesn't know what he is talking about.
5
While Trump is talking about 1950's-era farm commodities to balance the trade deficit, China is catching up in IT, ahead of us in AI, and stealing our basic research and drug patents every day. China may meet with Trump & Mnuchin for schmoozing and smiles, but they are laughing on that long flight all the way back to Beijing, knowing our threats are empty. Trump negotiates against himself and America's interests every time he tips his hand with a tweet.
4
Can someone please explain to a normal person who doesn't know much about economics why a 'trade deficit' matters?
Budget deficit: we don't have enough money to pay our bills.
Talent deficit: our people are lacking in intelligence.
Trade deficit: we import lots of reasonably priced stuff.
One of these doesn't look like the others. Please explain.
2
Yes we import lots of reasonably priced stuff, but who is keeping our workers employed? Unless we are producing and exporting to customers around the world, our economy will continue to shrink. Yes we have technologies that we export but we can’t be a country of just services.
It's time to face up to the fact that this is not the 20th century any more. America will continue to be a major power, unless we fail to adjust to the new reality and try to turn back the clock. History is littered with the remains of those who made that mistake.
4
What's with the imprecision of some of the NYTimes headline writers? The story has zero reports about Trump's " charms"--only about his bluster, and then blister in another direction.
5
"The world has had it with our bullying, our daily traumas and dramas, our arrogant faux Christianity, our bigotry, racism and sundry hatreds, our idiotic election circuses in which everything comes to a standstill for two years then goes into reverse for eight; our vile gun culture, our mal-educated, dumbed down citizenry, our pollution, our anti-science spasms, and our climate folly, and it's criminal endangerment of our very existence, our endless military misadventures and of course, our lying, big baby idiot crook of a president..."
Trump supporters are getting the message. Unfortunately Trump’s supporters still think that Trump can Make America Great Again at the expense of the rest of the world. Furthermore they think that Trump’s baffoonish behavior will do it.
12
#actuallyrootingforChina I can't believe this...
"Trump's Charm and threats may not be working"
And The Times knows this how? News editorials are getting old. There is a reason people are calling you Fake News.
Keep the editorials on the editorial page.
1
Trump has all the charm of a boa constrictor, and in this case a boa constrictor that thinks it is big enough and smart enough to make a meal of China. The canny Chinese leadership knows they can swallow Trump whole any day of the week and digest him at their leisure- and he won’t even know he’s been eaten.
6
Since when has Trump had 'charm?' And is this article meant to normalize a man who can't even spell his wife's name correctly?
6
He’s mercurial, inept, and basically, the laughingstock of the world. China will take full advantage of him to solidify their position in the world order, eclipsing the US.
13
Lets look at actual facts for a moment.
ISIS is decimated.....China is capitulating......Illegal alien border crossings are dramatically reduced.........North/South Korea are making peace........Stock market historically high......unemployment historically low........Take home wages up........Taxes down........Companies returning to America.........
Lets look at my opinion now.
The NEW York Times, a once proud "newspaper", continues to attempt its liberal spin on everything "Trump". It is both comical and sad at the same time. Make no mistake. Liberal opinion pages do nothing but satisfy the liberal minds. They also cement the belief in the majority of Americans that the media has become nothing more than a liberal opinion page.
Nice try on bringing down Trump. You have done nothing but assure a Red Wave. Thank You.
1
You neglect to acknowledge how much of the progress you identified started during Obama's term, such as reduced immigration (due to GW Bush economic crash), steadily improving unemployment trend, steadily improving stock market, increase wages, improved housing market, many Bush tax cuts were reauthorized by Obama, Isis being fought, and on and on were the improvements from the economic crash results until Obama left. The positive trends are continuing and you are giving Trump all responsibility but that is misleading - at best.
2
Nice try. Stay on the liberal wagon.
"The United States exports only $130 billion in goods a year to China. Finding more goods to buy to reduce China’s trade surplus by $200 billion would be extremely difficult . . ."
It would be interesting to know what America exports to China. I feel comfortable in thinking that the Chinese have craned their neck over the pond and looked at what we make and pointed their fingers to the tune of $130 billion, "Yes, I can use that."
But us, we don't buy from the Chinese what they make for themselves: we import what the Chinese make just for our open mouth. We want everything super cheap no matter what; and we want China to subsidize our consumption with her poverty. Confucius say, "No!" The Chinese, through universities, travel here, etc., are well-versed in American culture. Few Americans live in the real China. Plenty of Chinese live in America, everywhere.
America imports more from China than it exports because Americans want more, of everything, just to have it. Like greed, "More is good!" China has 1.4 billion people and would be stupid, as well as immoral, to allow a nation of plenty of only 350 million to consume the lion's share of the earth's resources. I'm with China, I say, "No! China first!" What scale of justice tilts in favor of 350,000,000 vs. 1.4 billion?
China's history is millennia long; ours, well after the "crapper" was invented. Like us, China, has its corruption; after that, though, China's families are far stronger and its culture a Venn diagram.
What is this in the headline about "Trump's charm"? First time I have been aware that bluster and bombast merit the term.
4
Great Britain was in this fix when the China demanded silver to pay for the trade deficit. The Opium War resulted and the Qing Dynasty agreed that opium was as good as silver.
Now, what can DJT force China to take in payment for all that Chinese junk we buy? Think, Donald, Think !!!
I had a vision a few moments ago,
as I saw new trump headlines.
It was of trump after he leaves office.
Extremely soon I hope, and no one pays
any attention to him, He looks a
little seedy walking down the street
and people turn away when they see
him or tell him to shut up when he tries
to get attention, No one will print a word
about him and news stations never
mention his name. Even Fox has
banned him. He still twitters but his
tweets are grounded and never get seen.
His children are treated the same.
The invisibles. The children all have service
jobs in the hotels they once owned, part of
of the crafty sale deal Donald made. And
most of the new owners are brown people.
Won't it be nice, if we live though this, to
never hear or think or wonder about trump again
4
Dear Keith, As the President has assured us, trade wars are easy to win. I am quite sure the, "Great Dealmaker and Chief", has a clever plan plan to beat the Chinese, just look at Atlantic City. He came out unscathed, so to speak. You don't want to talk to his contractors. Trump is no patsy. Just an old guy stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has the power to simultaneously be his own rock and hard place. You can't say the guy doesn't have talent. What do you want memory foam? RAW
4
The Chinese have Mr. Trump pegged as the blowhard malignant narcissist that he is, completely susceptible to flattery, bribery and other blatant manipulations. Chairman Xi can easily make President Trump dance like a puppet on a string to whatever tune Xi desires. By unilaterally abandoning the TPP, President Trump has already capitulated America's strong position on Pacific trade to China.
It's doubtful that the self-styled World's Greatest Negotiator can even negotiate himself a second helping of broccoli at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
4
The words "charm" and "Trump" should never appear in the same sentence. "Con" and "Trump" is more like it. China is not stupid. It will not fall for 45's shell games.
3
Charm? What charm would that be? Trade wars are easy, right?
3
When your bargaining position hinges on the word of a buffoon, known liar and likely criminal, it's not hard to believe the other side is not going for what is being pushed on them.
China has a completely different view of history and time and how it pertains to their nation and it's clear they like most of the world is ready to wait out the great American disaster known as Trump.
5
All this winning is getting tiresome. We are winning, right? Trump said so.
2
there seems to be NOTHING GOOD that trump does and the best thing he could do for his family and AMERICA would be to resign. He will go to jail soon if he stays--and he knows it. The more he talks the guiltier he becomes.
TRUMP,. you are without doubt the worst president in history of this nation and you compare well to the guys who trashed Germany and Italy.
2
Trump's "charm and threats" didn't work on 54% of US (those of us who took the occasion to vote). But. . . .
3
The community of professional trade negotiators and international businesspeople knew from the beginning that the Trump team was hopelessly outmatched by the Chinese side. This crop of arrogant demogogues had no idea what they were getting into but their hubris set them up for certain failure. They denigrated the efforts of the professionals that went before them, used no China experts, and insisted on shotting from the hip. The Chinese are amused and the rest of us are embarrassed that we have these clowns speaking for us.
4
The Chinese have Trump over a barrel. He threatens, they ignore. Why? Because they now believe that they are or will be more powerful internationally than the US because of their autocratic govt does not have to answer to their people or anyone else. Ji is in charge as President for life. It will take a revolution to unseat him.
2
"Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said the United States was not prepared to revisit the penalties and that Mr. Trump wanted to be “very tough” on ZTE."
Can't Trump get his story straight on anything? Last week he and his pal Xi decided to get ZTE back in business and save 70,000 Chinese jobs. Now that is no longer operative. How many times is this guy going to do an about face? It seems like he flip-flops on just about everything. DACA. China. Now North Korea apparently. It makes your head spin!
2
Charm? He has the charm of Godzilla!
2
Charm?
3
Trump is being played the fool in all this. Just like he’s gotten played by Russia and North Korea. This is why you don’t want a con man with zero experience or intelligence or humility running the country.
2
Trump has always been a horrible deal maker and now that he is out of his NYC ''real estate'' comfort zone and having to face off with International leaders, his incompetence and lack of knowledge comes to the front. This is a man who is out of his element and completely out of his league. He is no match for his wily competition. Next up: another humiliation, this time at the hands of North Korea. Trump's Deals are ''easy to win''....for his adversaries.
587
Maybe that is why you have more money in our account.
3
Why start a war that you cannot win?
12
He has no "real estate" comfort zone. I lived in NYC for 19 years and he was/is the laughing stock of the real estate community. The man is incompetent, dishonest, and embarrassingly vulgar. I occasionally traveled in some lofty circles, and Donald Trump was a joke.
107
Trump, and his "advisors", as well of members of the GOP, just do not understand Asian culture. Especially the part of "saving face". China, North & South Korea, and Japan, are not the United States. What manipulation Trump, and many 1% CEOs, can do in the boardroom, does not work in Asia. If anything they see it insulting. They also do not deal with people who banter insults and try to tell them what to do.
Thus, it is no small wonder, in the game of Trump Tariffs vs China; the game of chicken failed for Trump. China has been around, as a civilization, since 7600 BCE. Korea since about 2300 BCE, Japan about 900 BCE, the US 1776 CE.
The Chinese, Korean, and Japanese were the creators of "the art of the deal"; Trump has no clue what that really is. Bullying, womanizing, lying, cheating are not ways to make a deal. And, fro China, trump has more than met hist match.
Finally, the US, because it ceded all manufacturing off shore, would lose a trade war places like China, the South Korea, Japan and Europe. Also, if he kills NAFTA, fro the same reasons. His day of reckoning may be at hand. The US really has nothing to give, but a great deal to lose.
4
Here we have AGAIN just another in the long list of circumstances in which claims coming from an "empty suit" for a President, all of which seduced a significant portion of the electorate who bought into it, yet, neither they nor Trump understood for a moment how it all was eventually going to unfold.
There is only one thing more startling in that in this forum there are blind Trump supporters who STILL honestly think he has gotten the upper hand on a 2000 yr. old authoritarian society with over 1.3 BILLION people.
This change is undoubtedly due to the machinations with Indonesia's MNC Lido City, with whom the Trump Organization has an agreement to license its name, signed a deal to receive $500 million in Chinese government loans, in addition to another $500 million from government banks. Trump properties stands to rake in $3.7 million in royalty fees per year. Within 72 hours of that deal, Trump is tweeting about how our sanctions on rogue android phone maker ZTE is costing too many jobs for the Chinese and now about 10 days later he backs away from trade sanctions.
Meanwhile, the son-in-law is playing the same game. Qatar refused to invest in his failing NYC building that has a $1.4 billion note coming due, so the Saudis and UAE announce a boycott of Qatar. Now that Qatar is back negotiating a deal, the boycott is off.
This is third world government for sale stuff, but I will give them credit for getting big bucks.
2
Trump, just days ago, in writing: "I hereby demand..."
I know of no president in our history more primed for a fall.
7
Chinese propaganda was quieter on signs that the Trump administration may be ...
-- Keith Bradsher
[ There we have the terrible difference. The United States has news, China has "propaganda." For me, such US "news" is chilling, definitively Orwellian. The need evidently being to determinedly cast China as a villainous country. ]
One side attacks Trump and the other defends him. What is missing is the practical. The US currently exports about $127 billion in goods and $50 billion in services to China. Does anyone think that figure can easily be doubled? Agricultural goods were mentioned, but that is only maybe $20 billion of the current total. Even if that were doubled, which may not be possible that would only achieve 10% of the target.
I doubt the current economy, which is near full employment, has the capacity to generate so much additional product? Even if you could find the workers, the endeavor would require substantial business investment in factories, equipment and infrastructure. This investment would come at a substantial risk. The new Chinese business could disappear in a flash if relations deteriorate or the Chinese economy slows down. Producers would be on the hook for the excess capacity.
2
This is not clear. There are offers on the table that would make a major difference in US=China trade. This is quite premature.
1
Trump corp got a $500M loan toward a project in Asia.
Success. Was he ever worried about American workers? His business record suggests not: history of defaults on contracts, bullying, suing workers who had the temerity to demand payment for any number of jobs done.
It's only a failure if you think Trump was negotiating with the best interest of the USA as a goal. And, since his projected tariffs were going to create disruptions here and abroad, maybe we should salute his failure. One more tacky Trump branded resort will be built in some other country for some other tacky group of consumers.
6
The president and his team are being played for chumps by the Chinese as a certain parlance would describe it. Just as the Russians played the Trump campaign in 2016 and the North Koreans currently are.
Meanwhile, the president believes he's grifting the American people, whom he has always viewed as easy marks.
So who are the real fools in this shell game?
7
"The president and his team are being played for chumps by the Chinese as a certain parlance would describe it. Just as the Russians played the Trump campaign in 2016 and the North Koreans currently are.
Meanwhile, the president believes he's grifting the American people, whom he has always viewed as easy marks.
So who are the real fools in this shell game?"
Trump has good reason to view his fellow Americans "as easy marks." That we voted him in is proof that he is right.
1
This is like sending a boy to do a mans job. The Chinese know all they have to do in the end is approve some Trump family project in China or finance one for junior and all will be good.
9
I still get the giggles when I think about the Times piece of a couple years back, discussing what happened when Trump tried to renege, bully, and sue his way out of deals he'd made with a small group of wealthy Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong.
It ended with one of them smiling, and politely saying, "Oh, we don't do business with Mr. Trump any more."
It's a terrible thing to say, but I always imagine him leaning back, reaching discreetly for a small, elaborately-worked metal tray, picking up a small, beautiful jade toothpick, and discreetly removing a large canary feather that had somehow come to be lodged by a front incisor.
5
"Trade wars are easy to win."
Make no mistake: the nations of the world are preparing for a world without the United States of America. China is getting soybeans elsewhere, Mexico is getting corn from South America (are the duped farmers who voted for Trump winning yet?) Asia and Europe will make the airplanes and rockets and smart phones and windmills and solar panels the world needs. The world has had it with our bullying, our daily traumas and dramas, our arrogant faux Christianity, our bigotry, racism and sundry hatreds, our idiotic election circuses in which everything comes to a standstill for two years then goes into reverse for eight; our vile gun culture, our mal-educated, dumbed down citizenry, our pollution, our anti-science spasms, and our climate folly, and it's criminal endangerment of our very existence, our endless military misadventures and of course, our lying, big baby idiot crook of a president, his shameless and blatantly criminal family, and the corrupt crime cabal that supports him: the neo-fascist Republican Party - which for 40 years has been selling our country out to their plutocrat owners, led by the Koch Brothers. Trump has opened their eyes: guess what? In the end, they'll do much better without us, and they are hard at work at it now: the 99 Cent Store will soon be the 9.99 Cent Store. We are a dispensable country. And over the next ten years, we are going to be dispensed with. And for dumbed down, Fox addled Americans, it won't be pretty.
11
I sincerely hope the next president is a great one. He/she will have their hands full trying to un-do the damage Trump is causing.
1
Sorry another country makes cheaper things that US citizens import to sell and make money from. Sorry there is trade that you now feel ridiculous knitting socks for yourself using straws and spiderwebs. It is all just too bad, once a while, another group of people make cheaper things and caused you to uncontrollably consume and emptied your wallet. It is always other people's fault of course.
Trade war is good if you are a bully with no integrity and people skills. Maybe you like making socks with straws and spiderweb in a remote cave?
5
Sooo much winning!!!
Nazi's marching in our cities.
Crops rotting in the fields.
People being snatched right off the streets by Trumpian Brown shirts.
Dirtier air and water.
Topped off with kleptocratic White House.
USA!!! USA! U..s...aaa (sob...throws my MAGAt hat on the ground...stomps little hoof and waddles away...)
17
Trump is an idiot with an animal's nose for manipulation. His entire life has been spent finding marks and using them. The problem with diplomacy is that you don't get to choose your marks. When you're an idiot with a tweet-length attention span and a disinformation diet, you get played every time.
The only con artist "win" that he's had as president has been to leverage Republican bad faith governance to get himself richer than ever. He found his greatest mark - an entire political party so invested in a manufactured tribalism that they would never check his greed. He's making hay.
Otherwise, we all suffer his incompetence and stupidity.
10
It is hard to take someone seriously who talks out from both sides of the mouth. The world will soon isolate the president...and unfortunately the USA.
5
Just like with all of his mostly failed businesses, he will screw it up, get a few bones and then will declare victory and say he was the greatest president of all time.
8
Instead of bitching about China's planned technological initiatives spelled out in the Made in China 2025, the administration and republican controlled Congress should finance an R&D initiative to meet this challenge. Instead, Trump proposes deep cuts in Federal science R&D spending that Congress may reverse somewhat for FY19, with no prospect for further increases for FY 20 and beyond. American federal R&D budgets as a function of our GDP have been declining for decades and is now below 1% of GDP. Private sector investments have been increasing but the net slope of the combined R&D spending remains essentially flat, in stark contrast to the investment by China, South Korea, Japan and some EU countries. That plus sloppy IP security puts the US at an enormous disadvantage. If we don't act, these countries will eat our high tech lunch.
The republican answer seems to be "let the private sector do the R&D". Let me clue you in, industry does not generally have the long view in mind, their profit and stock prices depend on investments with a much shorter time horizon in mind.
The republican also blame China for its investments in the private sector; we do this as well in agriculture, aerospace, health industry, etc through direct subsidies, taxation and R&D support to both universities and the private sector.
So Mr. Trump, stop complaining, and change the government's R&D investment policies to vastly enhance the American entrepreneurial spirit and meet China head on..
7
But of course, "trade wars are easy", we know this because Trump said it. So it must be true, right? And it goes without saying that Trump believes he's much smarter than Chinese negotiators in negotiating deals. After all, he was so gifted in this regard, he bankrupted himself six times. This indicates two possible conclusions. One, he's learned from the six bankruptcies and really is a stable genius. Or, two, he learned nothing. I'm going with number two.
Now, as they say, the rubber is meeting the road and it appears Trump is skidding.
4
Charm? Sniffing glue in the staff room?
He is WAY out of his league, and China has more leverage over him personally than anyone in history.
He owes Chinese banks a large amount of money from loans for Chinese steel used to build 4 of his last 5 buildings, and China just put $500,000,000 into his Indonesian venture to get even more leverage over him.
China may be the one country to which he owes even more allegiance than Russia.
One he does not seem to have any allegiance to is the United States.
15
A child looks at adults and does not (CANNOT) understand the complex responsibilities and relationships they maintain. To a child, it seems like being an adult is all about getting your own way and making up annoying rules to keep kids from having fun. Most people come to understand that adult life is not a stroll down easy street and that their parents' rules about curfews, vegetables, homework, etc. were not all that dumb after all.
But to quote J.M. Barrie, "All children, except one, grow up." The fact that Trump repeatedly spoke about how "easy" and "quickly" he would do everything as president made it glaringly obvious that he was not capable of appreciating the seriousness of the office. Trump famously asked "why" the Civil War had to happen, implying that some simple negotiation would have squared things if only people were as smart as him. Meanwhile, Trump has yet to successfully renegotiate a single agreement. Indeed, he can barely cut deals within his own party!
The presidency is a serious job for serious people and Trump is a bad joke. Any sane person adult off the street (including a Trump supporter) would be preferable to the current situation. I would at least have some hope that an adult Trump supporter might just admit they have no experience and either study like mad or hand it off to Pence.
7
This piece is exactly why the news media is barely worth anything anymore. This entire thing has nothing to do with Trump's negotiating prowess or lack there of. It has to do with a conflict of interest. A Chinese government owned bank is giving 500 million dollars to Trump's company to do a deal. So Trump promptly changed his tune on his trade war. Of course the NYT fails to mention this monstrous conflict of interest.
3
You there at the NYTs- you are losing the fight. You can't
see the forest for the tree; as they say. The point is that Trump is having talks and negotiations with China. Some he will win others he will not. But at least he's trying - much more than Obama did.
He lost on NAFTA.
He retreated from his European Tariff threats.
The Chinese run circles around him.
So, the only success he has so far is on South Korea and even that one he is refusing to seal the deal hoping to squizz them for more.
6
There is so much irony reading the reader comment that slams the NYT for its reporting.
Why does that reader bother to even bother to read NYTimes if he considers the reporters and editors to be dimwits?
That reader/commentator is his own propaganda generator--just like Trump and the Chinese generate their propaganda.
3
Trump, like many others with zero personal experience in China, underestimates the capabilities of China, its leaders and citizens. Put your pants on in the morning in China working on a few infrastructure projects in China with the Chinese and you will gain a different perspective on dealing with the Chinese that doesn't depend upon threats and bluster. China is above all else a sovereign nation, its leaders in government and business are extremely well educated in economics and its people are proud and patriotic; characteristics we would wish of ourselves. Trump and the members of his cabinet, all with effectively zero foreign deployment experience anywhere, will continue to underestimate Chinese resolve, Trump's strategies will fail to appreciate what the Chinese desire and ultimately Trump's China solution will be suboptimal.
3
Trump is not negotiating - he's putting on a WFW match for his voters, who have no idea what they've already lost and what they stand to lose with Trump in the ring with younger, smarter, better-informed fighters:
"The trade imbalance between the countries has actually widened since Mr. Trump visited Beijing in November and oversaw the signing of import deals on everything from beef to helicopters."
THAT'S what we're are losing.
Wake UP!
12
The United States grossly overestimates how much the rest of the world needs it. The days when America was the dominant world power are dwindling, and as nations like China, Russia and Korea gain power, the US is becoming more and more irrelevant as a player in the game. The sad thing is that it seems that no one has told the American people how little credibility or influence they have on the world stage anymore.
15
Fortunately, we also grossly overestimate just how likely everybody is to leap when we say frog. Just part of not being able to figure out that it isn't still 1955, I guess.
1
To : Steve Jackman
Tokyo, who writes
Trump would be well advised to turn his attention to Japan....
Japan has some of the world's worst non-tariff trade barriers anywhere.
Very, very true, but trade is subservient to politics, and the politics of the US since 2001 has been to "contain" a rising China, by surrounding it with nations (Japan, Philippines, Vietnam. ..) bound by treaties and commercial interests to the US
Of which by far the most important one is Japan. It would violate fundamental US foreign politics to begin , now , a fight with Japan over trade.
1
China sees Trump's bluster for what it is. Their political leadership controls all of their economy; something Trump can't do. China is busy negotiating pragmatic solutions for their people. Trump is busy making noise. Maybe he'll get a hotel out of it.
10
Is this the great negotiator, the business genius with uncommon qualities he claims? Not in the real world, I guess.
China understood this ways before Trump voters.
7
What Charm? China Trumps Trump!!!
10
"The latest round of negotiations showed that Mr. Trump and his advisers may find that extracting concessions from China is much harder than they expected."
REALLY!
6
Bullies are not charming. China and its leaders are able to distinguish between the two, something that too many people in this country are clearly incapable of.
12
Trump is so out of his depth a week ago he was promising to bring jobs back to China. Still in his own mind he's blithely going from triumph to triumph, his absurdly grandiose opinion of himself only rarely rocked, and even then, only for the length of time it takes him to pound out an urgent tweet so to alert his base their champion is being treated unfairly and if it doesn't stop some people are going to be sorry.
8
Well this is a surprise.
7
Gee, really? You mean China recognizes Trump for the fool that he is? They must be even more clever than we thought. Guess we’re gonna have to up our game. Bring on Kudlow or any other fool appointed by Trump. That should do it.
7
Trump's bluster appears to be doing the greatest job ever of sliding Trump down the slippery slope to a position caught between losing face and precipitating an economic disaster.
9
The twitter's tweet - "When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!"
This is a joke. Clearly he has no clue how to enter into trade negotiations; just knows how to con people. China is not going to be conned, you silly little man!
My elementary school nephew can come up with something better than the 250 characters in this dumb twit (tweet).
What a simpleton!
6
Between "charm" (don't make me gag) and threats (very real) lie actual experience, knowledge, statecraft, and diplomacy. He's missing everything from A-Z.
What he improvizes as he vacillates wildly between those two points is deadly nonsense.
The man is a menace to freedom loving people everywhere. Impeach him.
6
Do his “charm” and threats work on anyone?
6
Well, I mean, ahem, he is the dealmaker of the century. That cannot be true!
2
His "charm" and "threats" don't work here, why would anyone expect that any other nation would be kowtowed by what other nations perceive Donald to be: a clear and present danger, a demagogue whose thinking is as deep as 140 characters, inimical to our allies, and Putin's puppet.
3
Trump's charm and threats = Trumps lies. His lies only work of Trumpers
3
China Has a Vast Influence Machine, and You Don’t Even Know It, By Yi-Zheng Lian
Dear Mr. Yi-Zheng,
Thanks for your concern.
However, anyone with a functioning brain knows about China's vast influence machine; this is easy to know.
The problem is that e-technology (like smart phones) has made people stupider and lazier, social media has made us into splintered tribal societies, and the news media has done a very poor job of informing us.
Plus, many of us simple don't care, or are too stupid to understand, or are convinced that everything in the media is false.
“Charm”! What puffery, to put it politely.
4
Trump's "charm"? Do, tell.
3
everything trumpypoo tries leads to disaster for the us, plain and simple
4
Had he spent one tenth the time studying issues with China that he has spent on the golf course and trump properties.....
The count is at about 150 days.
4
Trump gave away a lot of leverage by pulling out of the TPP, it was a huge gift to China. It was a monumental mistake but it's doubtful Trump understood the agreement, he was motivated by his vow to destroy the Obama legacy.
We all heard it for 18 months on the campaign trail, our government is stupid, our trade representatives are incompetent and stupid, but Trump would bring in the best minds on trade. Where are they?
Watching Trump constantly shoot his mouth off and repeatedly backpedal projects weakness from the Oval Office and there's a global audience sensing this every day.
Trump is working hard to save jobs, but they are Chinese jobs.
10
Who knew...?
3
“Trump’s Charm”?
Isn’t that like saying, “Skunk’s odor fails to secure Ladies’ Garden Club approval.”
Or “Napoleon’s height fails to win him NBA spot in 2018 draft?”
Or “Assad Denied ‘2018 Humanitarian of the Year’Award”?
10
Charm minus the C
11
The only people Trump is "charming" are the ideologues in his fact-challenged base. The vast majority of this country and I suspect an even larger percentage of the world at large see him for what he is, a morally degenerate con-artist / talking yam.
And, for the record, there is a big difference between "charm" and shoveling at lot of half-baked hogwash for the consumption and regurgitation of your dear-in-the-headlight fans.
covfefe
5
Trump does not possess even a miniscule amount of charm.
6
Charm? When?
5
Trump the chump is being played like a fiddle. He's playing with the big kids now.
5
I find "charm" offensive in this context.
7
Trump's charm? Kidding, right?
4
Trump's charms only work on those who don't know what Trump is all about...however, now everyone knows (even China!) what Trump is about...he is about enriching himself and friends, he is a bald-faced liar, and he is cruel to others. Period.
5
Locker room talk...
2
If Trump imagines he will be able to swindle the Chinese the way he swindled White America, he is badly mistaken. Trump, semi-illiterate and brutish, has no idea of World History. Ignorance, however fashionable it may be in the US these days, doesn't give anyone an advantage when dealing with the oldest civilization on the planet. When ignorant and racist White Americans elected Trump, they also elected to hasten the time when the US will play second fiddle to China.
7
Remember Atlantic City.
5
Ho hum. For decades I have been hearing Republicans yell about "business confidence"; as in claims that the well being of the economy depends on business confidence! Instability and uncertainty disturb businesses, so they don't expand and invest! Business confidence is essential! Now, of course, with president Weather-Vane-in-a-Hurricane, no one ( except possibly the Chinese ) has any idea what nonsense DJT will spout next. But suddenly, it's all good with the GOP. Yes, another sign of the complete servility and absence of principle that characterizes the GOP today. If you think China has been eating our lunch, be aware that they are planning to take our breakfast and dinner as well; and the current administration is serving those meals up on a silver platter.
7
Actually Trump was accurate when he said, "Trade wars are good, and easy to win." He just did not understand that it would be the Chinese for whom it would be good and winnable. It is similar to the ancient story of Croesus who sent to the great Oracle at Delphi to know whether he should go to war against the Persian Empire and the oracle replied: "If Croesus goes to war he will destroy a great empire." It turned out to be his own.
6
Very well observed! Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.
1
The advantage the Chinese have is not just a streamlined approval process over American bureaucracy. It’s that Trump and his team do not understand international trade and are unwilling to learn. The only club in their golf bag is a trade tariff, which will not work as the article demonstrates. And as far as the art of the deal is concerned, Trump’s experience has been limited to players weaker than he is, where he can use his fixer to get the advantage. But the Chinese are anything but weak, and there is no fixer to intervene here, because Trump has written off the WTO and multilateral trade partners
7
Charm , Thread, Bluff are not useful terms in trade analysis.
Numbers are.
Chinese exports to US , 2017, 505 billion dollars
Chinese imports from US, 2017, 130 Billion dollars
Trade deficit, 2017, 375 billion dollar. Negative for US
Of the Chinese imports from the US, only $ 20 billion worth (15%) are agricultural products, including $ 12 billion in soybeans (9%).
Could the be increased to make up the trade deficit ? NO.
Total US soybean production is $ 40 Billion.
How about energy (Natural gas, hydro carbons) ? NO.
The are only 10 Billion dollars of 2017 Chinese imports from the US
How about semiconductors ? What ZTE is all about. China imports totally $ 200 billion but only 6 billion from the United States (which export a total of $ 50 billion).
The only realistic way to reduce the bilateral deficit would be for US households to reduce their consumption of Chinese imports.
In a nutshell: The United States lives on credit by lending dollars to the rest of the planet, hungry for the world's reserve currency.
No one addresses this fundamental problem in the American debate.
Nor does hardly anyone point out that , China has no problem of global imbalance, its trade surplus being just 2% of the gross domestic product.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Data :
http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2018/05/21/les-chinois-gagnants-d...
11
Trump would be well advised to turn his attention to Japan, which is America's only other trading partner that arguably has an even more closed domestic market than China. Let's not forget that America has its second largest trade deficit with Japan, next only to China.
Japan has some of the world's worst non-tariff trade barriers anywhere, which have kept its markets closed for decades. The head of Ford has called Japan the most closed market in the world.
But, autos are not the only bone of contention between the U.S. and Japan. Japan also imposes extremely high tariffs on many American agricultural products, including tariffs of as much as: 50 percent on processed beef products, 24 percent on poultry, 40 percent on dairy products, 661 percent on whey, 32 percent on fruit, 43 percent on juices, 1,000 percent on vegetables and pulses, 250 percent on wheat, 255 percent on barley, 21 percent on soybean oil, 600 percent on peanuts, 26 percent on processed products like coffee and 778 percent on rice.
It's hard to believe that with all the military and diplomatic support the U.S. provides to Japan, it has so little clout that it cannot even get Japan to agree to a fair and free bilateral trade agreement between the two countries. It's time to address America's USD 70 Billion annual trade deficit with Japan ASAP.
1
Your argument, though factually accurate, misses the main point entirely --- Japan is in the TPP trade treaty (actually its successor too) but Trump "the very stable genius" pulled out of this treaty and its counterbalance to China (never in TPP) on day three of his ill-fated presidency. I bet Trump never even read one paragraph in this agreement. So even though you are factually correct on the Japan trading question, politically around the world the Trump US government has already thrown in the towel. Bilateral agreements indeed ! No one cares about US whining when Trump lies to everyone. And by the way, the US government is 20 trillion dollar in debt. That would be manageable if all was owed to US citizens, but half (10 trillion dollars) is owed to foreigners. 1.2 trillion dollars to China and 1.2 trillion dollars to Japan. These creditors of course want to be repaid their money eventually, but they will gradually over a decade or so refuse to offer any new funds to rollover the repayment of the current debt. This will drive up US interest rates and choke off US growth. Are you sure you want to threaten these creditors?
1
The Chinese have a couple thousand years on President Flim-flam and his grifter routine. They ain't buying.
9
I guess there's a difference between a reality show and reality.
14
So China tariffs was a mistake, or diplomatic mismatch. Ditto North Korea. The Middle East further, dramatically, destabilized by unilateral “Trumpian” ignorance. At home, Trump’s consumed with battling DOJ. Luckily golf season is comin’ up.
11
Who would have thought that this would be so hard? I like that trump's nickname is the fiddle
7
Because we Americans are so stupid, Trump doesn't need any real concessions from China. Trump just needs to make it look like he did something. If things turns out badly, Trump will blame the media and Hillary Clinton.
In fact, American corporations and Wall Street love shipping jobs to China. In China, there are no inconvenient traditions or laws protecting human rights, worker rights, health, safety or the environment. Communist China, under the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and its Chairman Xi (falsely called President Xi in the NY Times)...is the dream world for all American corporate CEOS and Wall Streets.
Finally, we Americans love all the junk that Communist China makes for us, from all the cheap junk in Walmart, to those expensive Apple I Phones that keep just getting better and better (so many Americans believe).
5
What "charm" are you referring to in the title? The Donald has no charm.
6
Trump can’t help turning everything into an Abusive relationship: first seduction and then threats and bullying. Then kiss and try to make up. Rinse and Repeat.
Except it’s not working. Not for China. Not for NK.
8
No deal for the Donald
Who lost his trade war hard.
America Foist-ed
On its own Trum-petard.
5
Sorry Trump's charm is failing miserably in the United States. Once again we see a mercurial easily distracted man all mouth not long term focus.
3
While his cons work well on a lot of us I guess the Trump act doesn't translate well into the Chinese culture.
6
China made a very fine deal for Trump when China agreed to finance a Trump-branded property to the tune of $500 million. We have the very best president a Yen can buy; he is a fraud and huckster. And, NYT quit flattering him. There is nothing "charming" about him. You helped elect him by giving him prime space daily during the election. You can quit pandering to him now in hopes he will quit calling you "fake news."
5
Ah, the Resistance has now reached the point where its members would rather root against the interests of the United States than entertain the horrifying thought that Trump may have accomplished something. When talk surfaced that the North Korean summit might be in jeopardy, the not-my-President crowd all cheered. Never mind that this could lead to a safer and more secure country. They don’t care a whit about that. To their way of thinking, a diplomatic victory for the administration would be far worse than a nuclear holocaust.
Now we see China ready to make concessions on trade. Good news for America? Helpful to the economy? Please, who cares about that? Instead, the bovine nodding reaction of the Resistance is “Trump is being played for a patsy”.
This administration is the first to challenge the Chinese on trade in 25 years. First we had President Clinton naively believing that liberalized trade with China would magically lead a repressive totalitarian regime into becoming a liberalized democracy. Then we had Bush doing the bidding of the Chamber of Commerce free trade crowd. Then we got Obama thinking he could change the trade dynamic by orating platitudes about how tough we might sorta, kinda get, someday.
Now, in a delicious ironic twist, the Resistance, horrified and frightened at the prospect of a Trump accomplishment, would rather become cheerleaders for the Koch brothers and the globalist free trade crowd. What a hoot.
Just another day in Never-Trumpland.
51
Don't price the unborn calf: what precisely has Trump "accomplished" with North Korea, Iran, or China? Absolutely nothing to date. So as the ironic Austrian saying goes: "I'll let it surprise me." But I'm not holding my breath, considering that in the process of all his dealings, our president has thoroughly alienated most of our allies.
246
Huh?
We were not so stupid as to think that Trump's bluster and knowledge gaps would translate to anything real. He can only get things done when he has leverage. He thought he had leverage here, but he didn't have enough. He made this mistake because he's immune to learning.
243
Ya, like the way the Republicans stood in the way of everything President Obama tried to accomplish. It was 8 years of Never-Obamaland.
What's that they say about dishing it out?
285
Now wait a minute! I thought it was called the “free market” system. And, it’s self correcting. It’s that supposed to be the beauty of Capitalism? Like a self cleaning oven? So why would Trump have to beg Xi to buy American goods? Or, why would Trump give a hoot about some Chinese electronics company employees? And, why is there any mention of some Trump hotel somewhere? I guess the market isn’t really “free.” And the ‘Art of the Schlemiel’ ain’t as nifty as advertised. As far as the world is concerned China has ‘seen them come and seen them go!’ Let’s hope they keep manufacturing Trump ties, for God’s sake!
193
The billionaires get ahead by manipulating markets more than trading within them.
When Enron was in the process of being caught stealing, Cheney claimed that the market would fix the problem. But Enron was manipulating the price of energy by closing down power plants for fake maintenance, which was really a cover for causing artificial shortages to skyrocket the price, and bragging about it in their emails.
The Great Recession was triggered by global banks selling junk real estate securities as AAA (which its possible because they pay the rating agencies.
George Soros got rich by crashing national currencies, which is why I don't care how liberal he pretends to be.
Crony Capitalists can use government to manipulate markets through regulation, , markets that are not carefully regulated are more easily manipulated. The balance is the right regulations in the right amount, but the billionaires keep trying to convince us that all regulation is bad.
10
China isn't a free market.
1
internally it is. Its not a market fully integrated into the world economy.
Gee, trade negotiations are hard - who could have known???
9
Trump responds to emotional manipulation, the Chinese government does not.
China has watched Trump flip flop from tough talk to unfulfilled threats. They know his bark is worse than his bite.
Frankly, China doesn't even have to try with Trump. He does their winning for them.
5
Wait
Aren't He and Xi best of friends?
Didn't they share the greatest chocolate cake in the entire world?
Isn't China funding a Trump Empire project to the tune of $500,000,000.00?
Whoa.
Clearly Munchkin ain't up to the job.
Perhaps June 13th is open
He and Xi can meet in Singapore and work it all out.
4
"Trump’s Charm and Threats Aren’t Working on China.
What charm?
6
Is "charm" now a euphemism for ineptitude?
7
l love the way in this article and in general we discuss "Chinese propaganda" as if we somehow are above it all and didn't work feverishly at producing so much of our own. Sometimes these efforts are done hand in hand with the media, as was the case with the NYT's yeoman efforts to work with the Bush administration to legitimize the invasion of Iraq etc... and sometimes more directly through CIA covert disinformation campaigns and/or what thet State Department likes to call "public diplomacy". You better believe the US is in the game of pushing its preferred narratives up to its neck. This sort of puffing about the other guy's "propaganda" is, in fact, it's own form of propaganda and fools no one except some delusional Americans. As the Russians used to wisely observe during the Cold War, "Both you Americans and we Russians both have propaganda. The only difference is you Americans believe yours." It's worked great for the military industrial complex so far.
124
Kudos to the NYTimes for picking this.
I agree. I remember Judy Miller.
But the difference between Russia and America is that in our country we do not assassinate the opposition. Case in point is Noam Chomsky, the veritable canary in the coal mine.
13
"Propaganda" -- especially the use of free media or media that would actually pay him to appear -- put Donald Trump where he is today.
7
Jay Dwight, you probably know that Noam Chomsky says that we are free in the U.S. to a great extent because we can criticise the go government without being arrested (usually) but that he also says that we have a far more subtle and effective propaganda system here. He calls it "inverted totalitarianism" because instead of propaganda being top down and used to keep an individual in power, they mostly let the people keep ourselves down with market demanded bad tv and entertainment "news." Alone that wouldn't be that bad but the key is that.the editors hired by the owners of global media conglomerates carefully control which policies and candidates are serious and viable and which policies and candidates must be ignored, or called "crazy."
Totalitarian systems tell you what to think. Inverted totalitarian systems give you a choice between approved options and ignore attack any options that don't make the rich richer.
His "charm" and threats don't work on any intelligent Americans either.
4
There are two definitions for the word charm:
1. the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration and
2. a small ornament worn on a necklace or bracelet.
Since we are talking about Trump, I'll give the Times the benefit of the doubt and assume this article's headline is referencing the second.
4
Trump has charm? Doubt it, but if so that would be front page news by itself.
2
Who knew international negotiating could be so hard......
5
Well, color me astonished! Impulsive blurting doesn't convince hardened, experienced, intelligent Chinese leaders? Who would have expected that?
5
"Charm." Excellent shade, NYT!
3
"Charm"? Really? Many words can be used to describe Trump, but I don't think "charming" has ever been one of them.
4
Is anyone surprised? We knew all about trump before the election. Stiffing contractors and banks and running a fake school to bilk young people. He was well known as a con man and a flimflam artist but we elected him anyway. Anybody who is intelligent doesn't want to engage in illegal or shady activity. If you are intelligent, it is much better to make money, pay your taxes, follow the law, and enjoy life.
I know that many politicians are flexible in the area of ethics and integrity but trump is an out and out crook. Plus he knows nothing about the details of economics and trade. There are some ways that our trade situation could be improved but trump doesn't seem to know what is important. His thinking is often wrong or 30 years out of date.
12
It's a sad reality when I believe the Chinese negotiators over our own...
It is sobering when this is reported by Bloomberg News:
"China is growing three times as fast as the U.S. economy. At current projections, China's GDP will be larger than America's by 2028".
We're talking in just 10 years' time, folks....
11
I'm wondering again why the $500 million in Chinese gov't loan guarantees to a Trump project, which occurred just before Trump pivoted to a less aggressive stance on Chinese trade, is not mentioned in this article. One need not push a simple straight-up bribery angle to see numerous ways in which those loans might have played a role. Trump is clearly a very short-term thinker; he himself has said that he thinks of his administration as a daily TV show. Daily "ratings"--ego strokes for Donald Trump--are what drive his behavior. His startling promise to preserve Chinese jobs at ZTE may well have been a response to the loans, and at the same time, NOT part of any long-term strategy. He doesn't have a long-term strategy.
But he does have a long-term and well-established history of corruption. There is a prima facie case to be made that he is in serial violation of the emoluments clause. Why are half a billion dollars in loan guarantees to him from the Chinese not more of a story?
8
Yes, well, diplomacy is tricky. It is a chess game of sorts. It's more nuanced than a lot of bluster shouted at a rally...
6
Trump is a chump, once again!
The "greatest" negotiator of all time shows his inability to formulate and to prevail in his prime foreign policy matter, against China, as America's greatest potential adversary.
All the while, he is again inviting China to flaunt our national security, and continue to steal America's primacy in the tech area.
We need to Keep America Great, and this isn't that!
9
The story that Trump wants me to believe is that a low-information blowhard just outsmarted the Chinese trade reps.
More likely, they realized that they can feed his ego for free and then improve the Chinese trade situation for real money.
He puts America at risk in multiple ways. Every adversary has probably already realized how easy he is to manipulate.
I also don't believe that he has been able to attract top level staff.
Historians will be scratching their heads about this for decades.
8
This is a good win-win result. It would be impossible for any country that isn’t a completely planned economy to fix its trade imbalance to a specific number. And China’s policy of developing new technology is good because new technology is good—we should respond by increasing our own research spending instead of trying to shut down China’s.
The nature of a trade war is that, because trade restrictions hurt both countries, concessions often benefit the side that makes them. So if you look beyond the ego contest of which side made more concessions, it is clear that both countries benefit from us backing off in exchange for China reducing its own trade barriers. As more evidence, we see today that both countries’ stock markets are up substantially today, with the US market recording even bigger gains than China.
1
China's policy of developing new technologies mostly rests on short-sighted and fiscal-quarter-oriented, American and now European companies to sign over the patent and other rights to their fledgling Chinese counterparts. If that meets resistance they pilfer the blueprints and manufacturing routings from their intellectual property vaults.
2
The article's title should read "Trump's 'Charm' ...," for Trump and charm is a contradiction in terms. Threat, on the other hand, is intrinsic to him.
2
But he's The Donald. The Deal Maker! Just look up the number of talking heads who swore by his saavy negotiating tactics.
5
Actually most people think Trump is winning; this article is quite misleading.
Define 'most.'
3
I could be wrong but those trump hats are made in China. The deal trump is working on is the deal to put more money in his pocket. What happen to bring the jobs back to the United States? Or better yet make America great again. What is the name of the country we have been borrowing money from to reduce the deficit? I think it is China!
4
On twitter anyone can claim anything. Even flat-earthers can write there that they have been finally vindicated and call it a win.
3
Trump can never charm the Chinese because he is not Chinese but from an inferior race (from the Chinese vantage point) and a mere foreigner. I’ve lived in China longer than some readers have been alive. Expect Chinese to pretend to be charmed, though, to trick Trump into accepting another trade agreement of promises which were never intended to be kept.
4
Trump has no charms. He's a low-life boor of a person who will do anything to make money! As for threats, just watch how China will look elsewhere for business.
American has been sitting on her hands, while the Chinese have been in Africa, and the far east (e.g. The Philippines) developing these countries by building infrastructure in return for long-term leases.
China may need the USA.just as the USA needs China. I'm just surprised all the American companies who have huge interests and trade with China haven't yet complained to the big boor yet!
13
Charm? The only charm that this man can have is thanks to the money he has... Where else do you see the charm? In his lies?
6
Not the money he has, the money he borrows.
1
That too!
"Charm"?
The whole world can read his tweets.
And as such know that, not matter how he tries to ooh and woe them, whatever he says in person has very little to do with his true ... personality.
4
This is what happens when you a legend in your own mind. It appears that Trump, being ill-informed as usual, attempted to negotiate from a position last held in the 1980's. Times have changed while his knowledge base hasn't.
China has become very adept at thinking and planning for the next decade while we seem to be stuck looking in the rear view mirror and wanting a return to the good old days. Good luck with all that.
4
International trade: just like healthcare reform, who knew it was so hard to understand?
5
Just finished reading 1984 again. Thank goodness we're not totally there! But (always a "but") Newspeak thrives. Charm means disingenuousness. Win means lose. Trade war means cooperation.
5
President Trump has demonstrated himself to be a pushover when it comes to negotiations.
He struts on the world stage but carries a little stick.
Our European allies have moved on.
China and Russia have moved on.
North Korea is playing him like a cheap fiddle.
NAFTA? Still in place.
Tariffs? Stay tuned.
An infrastructure bill? Next year.
Obamacare? Wounded, but still alive.
DACA? Democrats killed it (a lie).
The Wall? Mexico (cue laughter from south-of-the-border) will still pay for it.
Never has a President said so much but actually accomplished so little.
The world sees he's hanging by a thread politically at home and taking full advantage.
America First?
More like -- America, meh?
716
Unfortunately, I think that this administration is doing way more harm then you’ve given them credit for.
The tax reform they’ve implemented will have long, hard consequences for the foreseeable future.
The moving of the embassy to Jerusalem has already seen disastrous results.
We cannot let the failures overshadow the real and present dangers he can and will do.
84
You covered all the points brilliantly. Thanks
26
Yes if it was just a matter of him not accomplishing anything that would be one matter. The circus show of paid off girlfriends and possibly corrupt business dealings are another unsavory matter - maybe he pays the price, maybe not. But his insistence on undoing or trying to undo all that Obama accomplished is the real danger, plus tax cuts for the wealthy. Some legacy. He is in close running with Bush as the worst prez of all time.
Trump doesn't need charm or threats, simply put he's not going bite the hand that feeds him and his family. They make a fortune from their investments in China and joint business deals.He might sound off on China but that's all an act and he loves to think he's a good actor, however the current acting job he's got, he's terrible at.
2
The only time the Great Wall of China was breached was when the guards at one of the gates were bribed. So, The Chinese know better than anyone on earth the power of a bribe. They know that all they have to do to manipulate Trump is invest in one or other of his real estate projects and that is what they will do. They know that this is a weak and unintelligent man who will yield to the most basic flattery. Chump doesn't have a clue what he's doing and will score another loss while proclaiming a great victory....
7
Those two pictures are worth the proverbial thousand words. The decrepit, aging leadership of the ancient Chinese Empire capitulating to the younger and more vigorous Westerners in the 1901 photo -- contrasted with the decrepit, aging, all-male leadership of a declining United States capitulating to the younger, more vigorous, and co-ed negotiators for the Chinese in 2018.
Not much MAGA going on these days.
8
This 71 year old can be duly ponderous and fairly slow on the uptake.
Once again we are reminded that we have a tragically unprepared and dangerously unprincipled ‘fake’ president who is an unabashed leech and an unrepentant liar. He should have seen that pulling out of the TPP gives China an open field to play in. He should recognize that withdrawing from NAFTA will harm many of the very people he claims to champion. He should understand that protecting dying industries to preserve jobs restrains the overall economy.
6
On March 2nd, 2018, noted international relations expert and world-class, nonpareil trade negotiator Donald J. Trump tweeted "Trade wars are good, and easy to win." What happened? Perhaps those pesky, obdurate Chinese simply have no idea who they're dealing with here. Or perhaps they do . . . .
3
"Trump's Charm and Threats Aren't Working" seemed like a complete title. I was surprised it had more words.
1
Charm? Many things come to mind when I think of Trump... charm definitely isn't one of them.
3
Trump sure likes to tweet -- and talk -- a lot.
Who knew a trade war could be so complicated?
1
For most of the past 2200 years China has been a socioeconomic political educational technological scientific educational demographic diplomatic and military superpower. About 20% of the human race is ethnic Han Chinese.
Xi Jinping is the 1st Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping to be deemed a 'core leader'. Mr. Xi is the 1st Chinese Communist Party leader since Mao Zedong whose thoughts warrant study by party members. Having shed the two term collective party government leadership model Mr. XI has effectively assumed the lifetime 'Mandate of Heaven ' of the Chinese emperors
Trump is the antithesis of both charm and competence. While no one thinks that Trump tweeting and speaking threats is fighting or serious.
3
Not working?
How much did Mar-a-logo make when hosting the Chinese delegation?
How many deals have Trump enterprises been granted from China, from Ivanka's business to trademarks to East and SE Asian resort licensings?
It seems to be working fine for Trump First.
11
This is what happens if you purge the experts in the state department and use amateurs to run your foreign policy. To be successful you need to be competent and have a strategy. Instead we sent over a group of negotiators who could not even agree with each other. What would a real strategy look like? Well you would begin by realizing the important issue going forward is intellectual property not steel and aluminum exports. You would then for a partnership with trading parters with a treaty that protected intellectual property (like the TPP). You would then negotiate with China as a strong block of Pacific nations. You would pull in the Europeans who also have intellectual property issues with China. Instead we throw away the TPP. Anger our trading partners by threatening tariffs that have no strategic value and take on China alone with a set of contradictory strident demands. An then while you are negotiating you further weaken your position by flipping on the issue of ZTE sanctions when your business partner in Indonesia gets massive financing for a golf course from company controlled by the Chinese government. With a negotiating "strategy" like Trump's who needs enemies. I can hardly wait to see how the Trump clown act deals with Kim Jung Un.
5
The problem with Trump's strategy on China is that he is making a frontal attack on their public reputations.
The Chinese burrow up believing that "saving face," (protecting your public reputation) is more important than almost anything. Accusing the Chinese of cheating, and publicly punishing them with sanctions costs them face and requires them to publicly resist these efforts.
Trump may not care about his reputation, but the Chinese will put face before friendly relations with the U.S..
China doesn't demand concessions from America. They quietly mess with the exchange rate and quietly subsidize their strategic industries to steal market share.
As rude and crude as Trump is, the Chinese are polite and subtle. Their civilization is 6,000 years old, and in yet another renaissance. Americans should check our outsized egos and learn something about how to conduct winning trade relations without being rude and crude.
2
President Xi makes Trump look like as a fool and thus the United States. Trump's lack of qualifications as president and his equally unqualified appointees, including Mnuchin and advisers like his son-in-law Kushner makes us ripe for the picking. I can only hope that Americans most harmed by Trump's disastrous international bravado are his most fervent supporters. In the meantime, Trump is laser-focused on using the power of his office to enrich himself. It should be his eventual undoing.
In the meantime, the November elections are the only path towards curtailing Trump's handiwork. A Mueller report released to the current Congress will bring this country to its knees. We need a Congress that will read and believe his report and act on it.
2
Trump always thinks he’s a tad (really, a lot) more clever, more savvy, more intelligent than anyone else.
Will someone please tell Donald Trump there’s a difference between being conniving and being smart, including dealing with the Chinese?
3
I don't know if our president backed down because of the $500 Million Chinese investment in one of his projects in Indonesia, but he must address the appearance of impropriety, or he must go. I wake up to start a fresh day with hopes, but his actions continuously dash my dreams away. What is happening is not normal!!!
4
China just made their largest soybean purchase ever..... from Russia.
I sure hope the Midwest farmers all know this happened - soybeans have been one of our biggest exports to China.
I hope those farmers don't vote for Trump.
5
The Chinese know that the way to Trump's heart is through his pocketbook. They will find a way to bribe -- I mean influence -- him that way. A few bright and shiny objects should do the trick just fine.
China knows that the complicity and greed of the GOP have made America completely irrelevant. It's China's world now and they're just getting started.
3
Charm? If behaving totally boorishly, then I guess he has charm. But he has none.
3
Typical naive American bravado negotiation style that is divided from the get-go. A lot of flash and not much to show for it. Talk isn't the way of the effective negotiator - the Chinese are playing Trump and his advisers who can't even put on a united front.
1
Trump has neither the intellect nor attention span to comprehend the nuts and bolts of these talks with China. Trump’s stated policies are nothing more than the latest West Wing or Cabinet member whispers in his ear. And sometimes, as evidenced by this article, they can be a jumble of confused conflict. Trump’s game never makes it to the back row of his checker board, while Xi’s chess checkmate in three moves bears down. Trump and friends never see it coming. In the end, the trick for Trump is to make it look as if America won something.
3
Trump's famous book 'The Art of the Deal' was a work of ghost-written puffery, bordering on fiction.
Trump's famous TV show 'The Apprentice' was also a mostly fictional depiction of Trump as an accomplished businessman and negotiator.
The only people left on the planet who remain convinced of this image are Trump himself, and the 35% base of his supporters, who seem committed to their man despite the facts before them.
The Chinese, Europeans, and even North Korea are not fooled by this undisciplined, unprincipled narcissistic man with no particular knowldge of history, and no attention span.
Everyone has knows what he refuses to admit - governing is hard work, and easy wins are rare.
3
Charm and threats. Has he ever tried honesty, mutual respect, and true negotiation? And of course he is going against masters of his own tactics. And things are not working. Wonder of wonders.
3
Who knew trade with China could be so hard?
2
China and perhaps all of Asia (including N.Korea) are having "dealmaker" don for lunch. The Chinese are rubbing their hands with glee knowing full well that despite their victory over a preening neophyte and his formerly formidable country - drumph supporters will believe him when he says he won - he didn't. (his companies are winning - thanks, American taxpayers!)
Lambs to the slaughter - or a better analogy for his base, frogs in a simmering pot that's shortly coming to a boil.
1
China owns Trump. Ask Americas soy beans farmers how he gave away the market. Get used to it America.
3
A 4- or 8-year president with a shady past is negotiating with Chinese and Korean leaders who plan to be in power for the rest of their lives.
3
In New York, Trump the two-bit hood negotiated deals with other two-bit hoods. Because Trump had more money, he won, and could tell himself how smart he was. Things are different now. Against the world’s best, he’s just a chump. How long will it take to repair the damage he is doing to the well-being of our country?
4
What charm? His crude and aggressive tweets and behavior seem pretty charmless to me.
3
Trump was mistaken about something!! No? Really?? I've got a better way to end trade deficits: destroy our economy! Then we won't have any money to spend and all our goods will be super cheap. Seems like our fearless leader is on the case. Genius!
1
Exactly. Like one of my Econ profs in grad school--who greatly influenced how I teach the subject--used to say, "Worried about trade deficits? Simple--wreck the economy."
2
The nation really needs to get serious and stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about this trump guy and move concertedly to holding him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
4
Trump is dealing with China which has become a giant economic powerhouse under a very strong, really smart President Xi who has absolute power in his country. If our reality star, President thinks he can bluff through with bombastic, impotent threats, then he is only deluding himself not Xi. China will retaliate hitting the red states the most as the vice premier Liu He has already alluded to or rather threatened. They will also go their own way with North Korea and Kim Jong-un might just decide there is no need for a meeting with Trump after all. Japan has strongly decided they will not bend to Trump's bullying. It's just a matter of time when all our allies in that region follow suit. God save America from a complete meltdown. God save America from this President.
343
Make America Great Again, vote out the republicans in congress and Impeach Trump.
16
America's God & the evangelicals put Trump in the White House. Why would God flip-flop? There is a very good chance Trump might get a second term: God save America. President Xi would not be disappointed if that happen.
2
No surprise here. China has had years of isolation, dynasties, and autocratic rule to groom itself into a hardcore player that Donald Trump hasn't got a prayer against.
Not only that, China practically owns the U.S. between its manufacturing, treasury notes and their real estate investments here -- plus if they ever called in their credit loans, this country would be in it deep and big-time.
So, what's the lesson to be learned here?
When negotiating a deal, sometimes it's better to have a smaller stick and a bigger carrot.
3
The Chinese just enjoyed the first course in the process of eating Trump's (and by extension, our) lunch. They will continue to do so because Trump has no coherent policy, is ignorant of anything other than the most simplistic view of a large and complex topic with much history behind it, and can't be bothered to learn much of anything about it (other than what Sean Hannity might say to him).
Further, Trump's administration can't speak with a single voice (where is Pompeo in all of this?) and Trump doesn't know enough to get out of the way of his own people, lest a speck of glory not accrue to him.
Trump's traditional bluster and intimidation simply will not work on the Chinese. They clearly see that he is a paper tiger with readily exploitable personal vulnerabilities.
454
The Chinese are practically at dessert by now. They´ve been eating America´s lunch ever since it sacrificed long-term strategy to corporate short-term profit.
13
>P Sherwood
"to get out of the way of his own people"
I don't think Trump has any people to get out of the way of. We have been told that the State department is way under staffed, particularly with respect to countries that are now of major importance to the US.
Hire some people with deep knowledge of these countries and develop some long term plans - not something that can be condensed into a tweet or a sound bite on Fox News.
12
The Chinese just pitched Trump a no-hitter, but he is claiming a home run. Kudos to Roy Cohen his mentor, who taught Trump to always claim a victory Trump is still in the minor leagues, and will never be a player in the majors. B
4
It's simple: Negotiation 101 teaches that you cannot start out using a Competitive bargaining strategy (Trump's only demonstrated approach), and then attempt to flip into a Cooperative mode. It's just not credible; you will never be trusted, as those later conciliatory moves will be viewed as attempted gamesmanship - a ruse.
Competitive bargaining also works pretty well in one-off deals, but not in sustained relationships, over time.
The ghost writer of Art of the Deal knew these things - why doesn't the serial embarrassment in the White House?
6
Clearly, the so called journalists who wrote this article have zero experience in negotiations. To move the ball forward each side needs to show willingness to bend. I have far more confidence in President Trump's team members who have real world experience versus Obama's team who never had personal skin in the game in real world business negotiations prior to becoming government, stuffed shirt bureaucrats. Obama's government lifers gave away the store because it wasn't their money, but the tax payers.
27
trump has no concept of the term "History". He has no "real world" experience at this level and in these negotiations because nothing has passed before this time. He is simply a salesman, and not very good at that. Not qualified, or ready, for Prime Time.
Good luck to you in the future.
72
The problem is that Trump only wants a deal that will leave America ahead of whatever country he is "bargaining" with. When were Republicans good at compromising?. I watched them for 8 years behaving despicably towards a very popular two-term president. I, and all Americans, have "skin in the game" whichever party is in charge. Right now many of us are on life support.
68
Oh yes, tough talk followed by abject surrender that's ameliorated via a $500,000,000 bribe to the loser's business interests is the classic strategy used by all great negotiators. Anyone with "real world experience" knows that.
68
He can spin the situation all he wishes. The bottom line: He "blinked"
"Who knew" it would be so difficult?
13
Donald Trump’s threats are not working on China and they are not working on North Korea. China is outmaneuvering the U.S. in the trade war that Trump wanted and is laughing throughout Beijing. Xi Jinping is playing Trump like a pipa and probably influencing Kim Jon-un to drop out of the scheduled talks on June 12th.
Trump says he is a great businessman and negotiator - yet his administration can't produce a coherent message on trade and is isolating the U.S. from its allies in Canada and Europe; and he is potentially creating greater destabilization in the Korean peninsula.
7