Today's reality... How Trump sees it... He's king of something, that's for sure! We just don't know what!
Trump is turning the election into a choice between him or china. It's clear all the dems are owned by the Chinese, so it is a fair way to present it. It's not like he can point to any success at all on immigration, not unless you count "studying something" as carrying out a central campaign promise. So he desperately needs to use another issue to rile up his base. Thank you China, you played right into his hands. China saw Trump's bid(earlier tariffs) and raised. He just went all in on them. And he has a lot taller stack than they do.
It seems to me the Chinese can handle economic damage a lot better than we can. Even if we cause a complete financial collapse in China, it will be temporary, but with long term diplomatic repercussions. The world will become more polarized and China will likely view us as a mortal enemy. With both sides seemingly underestimating each others capabilities and resolve, combined with a ongoing arms race, what could possibly go wrong? Someone is eventually going to get a ship sunk and with world leaders in escalation mode, how do things get turned off before an irrevocable act takes place? My perception is the Chinese are winning the PR battle against Trump. Yes, the Chinese have lots of help in our media, but Trump does appear to be the aggressor here without providing enough specific justification for it. I have a sense that Trump does not have a well thought out long term geopolitical plan. Trump’s foreign policy ideas seem to be a hodge podge collection of seemingly random ideas that pops into his head from time to time. Maybe the CIA told Trump something about China. If so, and whatever that it may be, China is not going to go away and will increasingly assert their increasing global influence through trade, diplomacy, huge economic base, and military power regardless of what we do. Would it not be better to befriend the Chinese instead attempting to fight their inevitable super power status? We are right to demand trade reforms, but the way Trump is handling “Negotiations” publicly seems counter productive. Either way, Trump has not played this well and is increasingly looking like he is vulnerable in his reelection bid. Trump supporters have shown their loyalty, but Trump’s reelection chances revolve around swing voters, in my opinion. If my perception is accurate, Trump needs to put together a string of winning moves in the issues that matter to Independents. If no trade deal with China and others, then at least provide them with a damn good plan for moving forward and start taking steps in accordance with that plan. A few concessions in some of the key issues that matter to the majority of Independents will likely be necessary as well.
And regarding swing voters, aren't they usually the ones in the Midwestern states, which produce the ags China is now vehemently refusing to buy?
This is the underlying factor that shapes the current geopolitical drama. It’s all about the Dollar and its reserve status. In the past few years as Russia/China have developed their SWIFT alternative and any other country that contemplates the same, guess what? https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-31/russian-banks-join-chinas-alternative-swift
? Not without U.S. allies he doesn't.. . And even then it's unlikely a screwball policy Trump pulls out of his ass can have any result other than a negative one on the U.S. economy. You may have noticed the message from the markets is along the same lines. The best thing for the U.S. now is for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment* and let us limp along under Pence -- while he awaits the Rapture -- until January 2021. At least that could bring an end to Trump's manslaughter of migrant children and wee-morning-hours seat-of-the- pajamas foreign policy. Meanwhile Trump's well deserved fate awaits him in the Southern District of New York. __________________________ *Not going to happen of course. Trumps hand picked Mulvaney clones , and fellow child slaughterers, would never bite the hand that feeds them.
Trump is putting the U.S. Dollar's Reserve status in much greater danger than it was. If the Dollar becomes just one among several alternative currencies with reserve status, the consequences for U.S. dollar stability , if you are a U.S. citizen, are not nice to contemplate.