Copyright Benzinga
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted President Donald Trump's decision to pare back tariffs on China after a face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping, arguing that Trump is "trying to clean up the mess" he created and now wants "17 pats on the back" for it. Schumer Escalates Critique In Fiery Floor Speech In an X post on Tuesday, Schumer wrote, "Trump's delusion is unbelievable: He started a trade war, created a giant mess for American businesses, consumers, and farmers… And now he's trying to celebrate how he cleaned up the very same mess he created in the first place. All while not fixing actual problems we face with China and giving away critical national security protections. Trump has folded on China." Schumer’s social media rant followed up on his comments on the Senate floor on Thursday, saying, "China has called Donald Trump's bluff and Donald Trump has folded, leaving American families, and farmers, and small businesses to deal with the wreckage from his blunders from his erratic, on-again-off-again tariff policies." He added that Trump had "no strategy, no planning and strategic decision making," and that "his bumbling has only emboldened President Xi, who must be laughing all the way back to Beijing. Flatter Trump with a few words, and he gives away things that America desperately needs." See Also: Elizabeth Warren Lashes Out At Trump’s Move To Introduce Crypto To 401(K) Plans: ‘Shadowy Markets Lack Strong Guardrails To Keep Your Money Safe’ Trump-Xi Deal Trades Tariff Cuts For Pledges Trump said on Thursday that he agreed with Xi to trim average tariffs on Chinese imports to 47% from 57% in exchange for Beijing curbing illicit fentanyl flows, resuming large U.S. soybean purchases and pausing new rare-earth export controls for a year. The leaders' meeting in Busan, South Korea, their first since 2019, capped Trump's rapid Asia tour, where he also touted trade steps with South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian partners. Beijing said the package also included a U.S. pledge to delay for one year a planned measure restricting tech access for thousands of Chinese firms. Markets See Tactical Truce, Strategic Gaps Persist Trump hailed the talks as "an amazing meeting," calling them a "12 out of 10." Markets and analysts, however, treated the outcome as a tactical truce rather than a strategic reset, noting persistent frictions over technology and industrial policy. China's year-long pause on rare-earth curbs offers temporary relief after months of tightened controls that rattled supply chains, but trade experts warned the reciprocal tariff reductions and enforcement promises may prove fragile. Photo Courtesy: Bumble Dee On Shutterstock.com Read Next:
