Administration

Trump blames Biden for US ‘declining’ after Xi comments on ‘Thucydides trap’

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by Elliott Davis - 05/14/26 10:12 PM ET

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by Elliott Davis - 05/14/26 10:12 PM ET

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President Trump late Thursday invoked his predecessor in attempting to explain comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two leaders meet during a high-stakes visit, blaming former President Biden and his administration for the U.S.’s “decline.”

“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Our Country suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, DEI, horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!”

Trump did not point to a specific comment made by Xi. But the post comes after his Chinese counterpart, in opening remarks at a U.S.-China bilateral meeting, questioned if the two nations could overcome the “Thucydides trap” — a theory suggesting that when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, a war could result.

Xi in 2021 also said, “the East is rising and the West is declining.” The White House did not clarify the quote referenced in Trump’s post in response to The Hill’s request for comment.

The president added on social media that China’s leader “was not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration,” referencing matters such as the military operation in Venezuela and the war with Iran.

“In fact, President Xi congratulated me on so many tremendous successes in such a short period of time. Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline,” Trump’s post concluded. “On that, I fully agree with President Xi! But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!”

Tensions over Taiwan have been an undercurrent during Trump’s state visit to China. During their bilateral meeting on Thursday, Xi told his counterpart that the “entire relationship” between Washington and Beijing would be put in jeopardy if the “Taiwan question” is not handled well, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Chinese officials also referred to Taiwan as “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations” in a readout following the meeting. Trump notably did not respond to questions from reporters on the topic when he was greeted by Xi on Thursday.

The two leaders are set to meet again on Friday before Trump returns to the U.S.

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