President Trump is back home following a high-stakes meeting in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping that focused on trade, Taiwan and the spiking energy prices amid the war in Iran.
Trump arrived on Wednesday and met with Xi the following day. He praised Xi, telling him it was “an honor” to be his friend.
Xi, however, warned against the U.S. and China falling into the “Thucydides trap,” a geopolitical concept that states that conflict ultimately takes place if a ruling power feels threatened by a rising power.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and China agree that the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept closed off to oil cargo vessels, should not be “militarized” and should reopen, and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. But although the U.S. would lean on China to pressure Iran into reopening the strait, readouts of the meeting showed almost nothing said by the Chinese side about the strait.
Chinese officials also warned the U.S. against backing Taiwanese sovereignty, as China views Taiwan as one of its territories. Xi told Trump that the “entire” U.S.-Chinese relationship would be at risk if the “Taiwan question” is not handled well, the Chinese foreign ministry stated.
Trump on Friday later told Fox News’s Bret Baier that there was “no commitment” on Taiwan, adding that he wants China and Taiwan to “cool down.”
Bipartisan members of Congress have called on Trump to approve a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, but the president has been ambiguous, telling Baier, “I may do it. I may not do it.”
Few other deals were reached during the summit. Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that China agreed to a large order of between 400 and 450 GE Aerospace jet engines and 200 jets from Boeing, with an additional purchase to buy up to 750 planes “if they do a good job.” Both leaders also made agreements on agriculture, including China “buying billions of dollars of soybeans,” Trump said.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Taiwan Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Yui could face questions on Sunday about Trump’s meeting with Xi and what the outcome of the meeting could mean for the U.S. economy and relations between the two powers. They will both appear on CBS News’s “Face the Nation, with Greer also appearing as a guest on ABC’s “This Week.”
Trump went into his trip to China amid dour economic news, as inflation spiked to 3.8 percent in April, higher than previously expected. Costs went up as gas and oil prices remained high due to the war in Iran, with the national average up at $4.52 as of Saturday, according to AAA.
Trump last week slammed Iran’s latest peace proposal as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” prompting Iran’s top negotiator to urge the U.S. to accept the proposal or let American taxpayers “pay for it.”
But as Americans suffer at the pump amid the quaking ceasefire, Trump told reporters before leaving for China that he does “not even a little bit” think about Americans’ financial situation when dealing with Iran. Trump allies, including Rubio and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), defended Trump’s remarks, but Trump himself later doubled down on his statement.
“That’s a perfect statement. I’d make it again,” Trump told Baier.
It remains unclear when Americans can see the pressure release at the pump. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who has made several predictions on oil prices throughout the conflict’s duration, told CNBC on Friday that the strait will reopen “sometime this summer at the latest.”
Johnson could again be asked about Trump’s remarks when he appears on Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Iran hawk and Trump ally, could be asked about the state of the conflict with Iran, in his guest appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Graham, Trump and administration officials have frequently argued that they all seek a de-nuclearized Iran, along with the reopening of the strait, as the outcome of the conflict.
Republicans defiant against Trump will face primary challenges this week, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on the ballot. The race for Massie’s 4th Congressional District has become the most expensive House primary battle in U.S. history with $25.6 million spent on advertising, according to AdImpact.
Trump and Massie have battled over several high-profile issues, including the Department of Justice’s handling of the release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie sponsored the law requiring the files’ release, but he frequently slammed the administration’s slow rollout of the files.
Trump, who has told Kentucky voters that he “can’t stand” Massie, endorsed Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL.
“We’ve got to get rid of this loser,” Trump told voters about Massie in his district in March.
Massie will likely be asked about his upcoming primary on May 19 when he appears on ABC’s “This Week.”
Cassidy faces two primary challenges Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) and state Treasurer John Fleming on Saturday. Trump endorsed Letlow, having long criticized Cassidy for voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
“Bill Cassidy is a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. “Now he’s going to get CLOBBERED, hopefully, in today’s BIG election, by two great people!!!”
Primaries, counting those in Kentucky, will also be held in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
See the full list of guests on the Sunday morning news shows below:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.)
CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Taiwan Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Yui, former CIA Director Robert Gates
NBC’s “Meet the Press“: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), former FBI Director James Comey
CNN’s “State of the Union”: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson
Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday“: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), singer Amy Grant
ABC’s “This Week“: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer
Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher, DoubleLine Capital founder and CEO Jeffrey Gundlach
