{"id":2599931,"date":"2026-05-07T12:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-big-china-dilemma-deal-or-no-deal-he-may-not-have-much-of-a-choice\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T12:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:44:09","slug":"trumps-big-china-dilemma-deal-or-no-deal-he-may-not-have-much-of-a-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-big-china-dilemma-deal-or-no-deal-he-may-not-have-much-of-a-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s big China dilemma: Deal or no deal (he may not have much of a choice)"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-big-china-dilemma-deal-or-no-deal-he-may-not-have-much-of-a-choice%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2599931&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Thursday\u2019s *Washington secrets* describes two Washington power-and-interaction themes.<\/p>\n<p>First, it looks ahead to President Trump\u2019s postponed summit with Xi Jinping and quotes China expert Michael Pillsbury on the strategic choice facing trump. Pillsbury argues Trump must decide between treating the meeting as a \u201cstability\u201d photo-op with a softer posture, or pushing for concrete concessions from Beijing that could satisfy \u201csuperhawks,\u201d such as tighter cooperation on fentanyl and possibly other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/incoming-trump-doj-could-shake-up-pending-courtroom-disputes-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Incoming Trump DOJ could shake up pending courtroom disputes - Washington Examiner\">high-stakes issues<\/a>. He warns China may continue its \u201cstrategic patience,\u201d letting summits pass with only limited written commitments while it advances longer-term goals.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the newsletter critiques the White House\u2019s reported messaging about an imminent Iran deal. It highlights Axios reporter Barak Ravid\u2019s scoops about a near-agreement and notes a familiar pattern: deal talk lifts markets (and drops oil prices), followed by skepticism or later reporting that the deal is not as close as suggested, sometimes with additional \u201cdetails\u201d or reversals.<\/p>\n<p>The piece ends with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >offbeat \u201clunchtime reading\u201d links<\/a>, including items about Kash Patel\u2019s bourbon joke and an obituary for Ted Turner.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><strong><em>Welcome to Thursday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>. The president is due to fly to China next week for his postponed summit with Xi Jinping. We talk to one of the top Trumpworld thinkers on the Chinese Communist Party, the man who raised the alarm during Donald Trump\u2019s first administration. Michael Pillsbury says Trump faces a big decision as he assembles his team and devises his strategy. Plus, why is anyone still reporting that an Iran deal is imminent? \u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When President Donald Trump sits down with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xi-jinping\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xi-jinping\/\">Xi Jinping<\/a> next week, he will be able to draw on the experience of six previous meetings with the Chinese premier.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556786\/rubio-white-house-press-corps-harsh-reality-iran\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio schools White House press corps, then faces harsh reality of Iran messaging<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Marco Rubio schools misbehaving White House press corps with master class in wit<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4555009\/marco-rubio-white-house-press-briefing-media-drought\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Marco Rubio ends his media drought in the highest-profile way possible<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Perhaps no one on his team can match that sort of insight, says Michael Pillsbury, author, China expert, and a key outside adviser who has helped the president prepare for past encounters. Pillsbury is coy about his role this time around.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cThe White House doesn\u2019t like it if it sounds like I am speaking for the president,\u201d he tells <em>Secrets<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But he said Trump faces a critical decision about how to handle the summit between the leaders of the world\u2019s two biggest economies, almost 12 months after a truce halted a tariff war.<\/p>\n<p>Does the president make it a vibes meeting and emphasize a message of stability, or does he try to placate the superhawks by winning concessions from Beijing?<\/p>\n<p>Neither is a soft option, said Pillsbury. <\/p>\n<p>The former might involve taking <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, with their vocabulary of security and espionage, to set out what the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/op-eds\/4554019\/donald-trump-xi-jinping-meeting-china-iran-stalemate\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/op-eds\/4554019\/donald-trump-xi-jinping-meeting-china-iran-stalemate\/\">U.S. is doing on Iran<\/a> and explain Washington\u2019s position in talks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would call it the minimalist approach,\u201d said Pillsbury. The idea that Xi Jinping is my friend. I\u2019m going to see him. I\u2019m taking Melania with me. Just the meeting itself, the summit itself, is the win, and the use by both sides of this magic word \u2018stability,\u2019 or \u2018stable.\u2019 This is the big new buzzword now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump himself has hinted that this is where he is in his thinking about China. During the 2016 campaign, he repeatedly accused Beijing of huge, systematic theft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t continue to allow China to rape our country, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing,\u201d he said at a rally in Indiana, for example. That language is long gone, particularly since a 2020 trade deal was signed.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Trump was asked about his trip and his relationship with Xi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI find him to be a tremendous guy, and we get along well, and you see how we do a lot of business with China and making a lot of money,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cWe\u2019re making a lot of money. It\u2019s different than it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So where does that leave the superhawks, as Pillsbury dubbed them \u2014 the likes of Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, and hardliners in Congress \u2014 on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party?<\/p>\n<p>The other option for a meeting is to come away with a deal signed that would give them a win. It might involve billions of dollars of Chinese investment (but only in \u201cwhite-listed\u201d areas that have no impact on national security), a crackdown on the supply of fentanyl or its precursors (in a measurable way), and maybe even the freedom of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/4451620\/no-country-for-free-men-jimmy-lai-sentencing-china\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/4451620\/no-country-for-free-men-jimmy-lai-sentencing-china\/\">businessman and publisher Jimmy Lai<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That route is fraught with problems. Multiple rounds of talks have yet to yield any written draft proposals, said Pillsbury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chinese have been very tough to Trump during the second term,\u201d he said. \u201cThey strongly reject any compromise, and they do not wish to make another written agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The danger is clear. China is playing the long game and is happy to let summits come and go with only modest agreements as it continues building its manufacturing base and avoiding anything that could be seen as provocative. All the while it is inching closer to America\u2019s position as the world\u2019s most powerful nation.<\/p>\n<p>Pillsbury calls the approach \u201cstrategic patience.\u201d His book, which became required reading in the first Trump White House, is called <em>The Hundred-Year Marathon: China\u2019s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Only Trump can decide how to play the summit, said Pillsbury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are two options, and I don\u2019t think the president has decided,\u201d he told <em>Secrets<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, the danger is that Trump comes away with little more than a photo op.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-trump-s-semi-official-news-agency\">Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-to-a-democratic-iran-iranians-burn-campaign-posters-refuse-to-vote-in-unprecedented-boycott-of-sham-presidential-election\/\" title=\"\u2018Yes To A Democratic Iran:\u2019 Iranians Burn Campaign Posters, Refuse To Vote In Unprecedented Boycott Of \u2018Sham\u2019 ...ial Election\">semi-official news agency<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>When the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps wants to get its message out, it uses the semi-official (whatever that means) Fars news agency.<\/p>\n<p>When the White House wants to release its take on Iran, officials go to Axios reporter Barak Ravid. On Tuesday, Ravid scooped that the Trump team believes it is close to a deal with Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSCOOP: The White House believes it\u2019s getting close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations,\u201d he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BarakRavid\/status\/2051968215857737841\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BarakRavid\/status\/2051968215857737841\">posted<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The result was an immediate drop in oil prices, combined with a collective eye roll from academics, journalists, and think tankers. Ravid has form in announcing an almost-deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKind of wild that Barak Ravid has predicted seven of the last zero peace deals between the US and Iran,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JustinTLogan\/status\/2051981984914714843\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JustinTLogan\/status\/2051981984914714843\">posted <\/a>Justin Logan of the Cato Institute.<\/p>\n<p>The story is in a familiar cycle. Trump himself or White House sources claim a deal is close. Markets rise, the price of oil drops, and within a day, stories emerge that Iran is blocking a deal and that things are not quite as straightforward as reported, often accompanied by a Ravid follow-up suggesting a U-turn or a surprise twist.<\/p>\n<p>Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/glcarlstrom\/status\/2051984013003223283\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/glcarlstrom\/status\/2051984013003223283\">posted<\/a>: \u201cGod grant me the optimism of an oil trader reading headlines about a vague bullet-point MOU that leaves the details to be resolved in further negotiations, which may end up collapsing or dragging on indefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was one of the more charitable takes. Others accused Ravid of juicing the market or worse. <\/p>\n<p>Ravid denied the wilder allegations and reacted to some of it with a sense of humor. When one satirist claimed Axios was close to achieving nuclear breakout, he popped back: \u201cNuclear weapons are not part of Axios\u2019 defense strategy. We have a Fatwa against nuclear weapons and all of our nuclear activity is solely for peaceful purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, whatever happened to that peace deal?<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BarakRavid\/status\/2052125188691542212\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/2026\/05\/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon\/687066\/?gift=66OeTwjwIWd7-zlTK2lFDiiVF2x3X6hbnhR5skx7kW8&#038;utm_source=copy-link&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=share\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/2026\/05\/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon\/687066\/?gift=66OeTwjwIWd7-zlTK2lFDiiVF2x3X6hbnhR5skx7kW8&#038;utm_source=copy-link&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=share\"><strong>Kash Patel\u2019s personalized Bourbon stash<\/strong><\/a>: What do you do if your reporting on allegations about the FBI director\u2019s drinking has attracted a libel suit? If you are Sarah Fitzpatrick, you follow up with a story about his supply of bourbon emblazoned with his own name and job title.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/06\/business\/media\/ted-turner-dead.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/06\/business\/media\/ted-turner-dead.html\"><strong>Ted Turner, creator of CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, dies at 87<\/strong><\/a>: Obituary departments are the repository of the finest writing in journalism. Fact. And Turner made it easy for the writer of his obituary by living an extraordinary life. The result is asides like this: \u201cAlong the way, he found the time and energy to captain the winning yacht in the America\u2019s Cup race\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>You are reading <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#3e4d5b5d4c5b4a4d7e495f4d565750594a51505b465f5357505b4c105d5153\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"d3a0b6b0a1b6a7a093a4b2a0bbbabdb4a7bcbdb6abb2bebabdb6a1fdb0bcbe\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thursday\u2019s Washington Secrets: Trump heads to China for Xi summit; Michael Pillsbury weighs key choices and the Iran-deal hype<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2599933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26100722581731.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[47458,4501,50406,3634,79268],"class_list":["post-2599931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-politics","tag-china","tag-tariffs-2","tag-trump","tag-us-china-trade"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26100722581731.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2599931"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599935,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599931\/revisions\/2599935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}