Donald Trump Discusses Deteriorated Relationship With China Chairman Xi Jinping

Outkick founder Clay Travis hosted president Donald Trump on his Fox Sports Radio show this morning. One of the many topics that came up was the president's relationship with Xi Jinping, the chairman of China. Listen at the 8:30 mark here:

 

 

"I used to have a very good relationship with him," President Trump said. "We made a trade deal. It was a great deal for us. China's ripped off our country for 30 years. Nobody's ever done anything like what they've done. We had a bunch of people sitting in the office I'm in now that allowed it to happen. We were losing $500-600 billion a year in trade with China. The deficit was massive. Probably averaged $200-300 billion for a number of years. We helped rebuild China. If it wasn't for us they wouldn't have China as you know it today. We gave so much money -- so stupidly how these people allowed it to happen. I came in and I charged them 25 percent tariffs and even more than that."

"But I had a great relationship with president Xi," President Trump continued. "I like him. But I don't feel the same way now. I know you indirectly Clay. You have your likes and dislikes very strongly and so do I. But I didn't like what took place. This is not trade. This is a thousand times the trade deal, what happened with all of the death and all of the world -- the world had to shut down. It's a disgrace what happened. You look at some of these countries in Europe which is devastated. Look at what's going on in Africa with this horrible disease."

"I certainly feel differently," President Trump said. "I had a very very good relationship. I haven't spoken to him in a long time. We have a much different relationship with China now than we did for years where they ripped us off and then I stopped that. They were having the worst year they've had in 67 years because I charged them tariffs. We were making a lot of money. I was giving a lot of money to farmers. They were targeting farmers. I gave -- $28 billion, that was the amount -- and it came all out of China. And the farmers are doing great because of it. Otherwise they would have been all out of business."

"But I treated them as you would do it. We still had a good relationship," President Trump concluded. "But once the plague came in from China -- I call it the plague -- once the plague came in from China the relationship changed. No question about it. It would be hard to believe that it wouldn't change."