{"id":2603181,"date":"2026-05-15T13:20:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-trumps-china-excursion-cant-mask-worries-at-home\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:22:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:22:59","slug":"white-house-report-card-trumps-china-excursion-cant-mask-worries-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-trumps-china-excursion-cant-mask-worries-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"White House report card: Trump&#8217;s China excursion can&#8217;t mask worries at home"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fwhite-house-report-card-trumps-china-excursion-cant-mask-worries-at-home%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=2603181&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>Friday\u2019s *Washington Secrets* looks back at Donald Trump\u2019s week, framing it as a mix of high-stakes diplomacy-especially wiht China-and an ongoing, unresolved push toward peace in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said he rejected Iran\u2019s latest response to a peace proposal as \u201ctotally unacceptable,\u201d and warned that a ceasefire was effectively \u201con life support,\u201d fueling speculation about renewed U.S. military action. He also carried into negotiations a refusal to treat the Iran war as a financial burden on everyday Americans. During his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing, each side delivered different emphases: the U.S. highlighted business and deals, while China stressed Taiwan as a central issue in U.S.-China relations.Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >return trip included public fanfare<\/a>,but relatively limited trade or practical progress-Xi maintained positions such as no nuclear concessions for Iran,and any trade announcements (like aircraft purchases) were smaller than expected.<\/p>\n<p>Two commentators rate the week differently. Jed Babbin gives Trump a \u201cB+,\u201d arguing he performed well in foreign policy and noting cooperation like reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while warning that Iran\u2019s attacks on Allied ships could draw additional nations into conflict (and highlighting Xi\u2019s caution about Taiwan). John Zogby assigns a \u201cD,\u201d contending Trump\u2019s China approach is stuck in a tariff-and-concession model that Xi has already blunted,and pointing to worsening economic pressures tied to the Iran war-such as rising wholesale inflation and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-tim-scott-argues-biden-spending-is-contributing-to-inflation\/\" title=\"Sen. Tim Scott Argues Biden Spending Is Contributing to Inflation\">higher gas prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The piece also covers security measures taken during the China trip (burner phones, controlling access, preventing data collection), followed by brief \u201creading\u201d links and typical newsletter wrap-up content.  <\/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 Friday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>. Which means it is time for our regular rundown of Donald Trump\u2019s week, and whether he won it or lost it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Roughly, Iran, Iran, Iran, Iran, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\">China<\/a>, China.<\/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\/4570167\/white-house-report-card-trump-china-trip-worries-home\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>White House report card: Trump\u2019s China excursion can\u2019t mask worries at home<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4568230\/trump-grip-match-xi-jinping-history-lessons\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Donald Trump\u2019s grip is no match for Xi Jinping\u2019s lessons in history<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4560425\/white-house-report-card-one-week-away-from-peace-iran-again\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>White House report card: One week away from peace in Iran, again<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>President Donald Trump left on his postponed trip to meet Xi Jinping this week, but without any resolution to the crisis in Iran (the reason for the delay in the first place).<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On Sunday, he said he was rejecting Iran\u2019s response to the latest peace proposal as \u201cTOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.\u201d (Capitalization all his.) The ceasefire was on \u201clife support,\u201d he told reporters a day later, raising speculation that he was about to start bombing the country again.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Trump left for Beijing, but not without putting a Persian cat among the domestic pigeons. A president elected to make America more affordable again said he was not <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4565100\/trump-financial-situation-not-motivating-talks-end-iran-war\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4565100\/trump-financial-situation-not-motivating-talks-end-iran-war\/\">weighing the economic burden of the Iran war<\/a> on everyday Americans while negotiating with Tehran. \u201cNot even a little bit,\u201d he said, lest there be any doubt.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Trump met Xi in the Great Hall of the People before each side issued completely different readouts of the meeting. The U.S. emphasized deals and opening China to American business. The Chinese one described how Xi \u201cstressed to Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The president flew back on Friday. It was a trip marked by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4568029\/trump-xi-big-pomp-light-substance\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4568029\/trump-xi-big-pomp-light-substance\/\">pomp and pageantry, but with little<\/a> in the way of breakthroughs on trade or on Beijing\u2019s help to end the war in Iran. Xi kept close to his previous positions, such as no nukes for Iran. And even such trade deals as were announced, such as the purchase of 200 Boeing 737s, were smaller than expected.<\/p>\n<p>So what did our two strategists make of it all?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jed-babbin-grade-b\">Jed Babbin: Grade B+<\/h2>\n<p>The president did well in foreign policy this week in the summit meeting with Xi, as well as the continued trouble with Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is still hovering at about 50,000, so, despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-consumers-facing-highest-gasoline-prices-in-at-least-nine-years\/\" title=\"U.S. Consumers Facing Highest Gasoline Prices in at Least Nine Years\">gasoline price rises<\/a>, the economy is doing very well.<\/p>\n<p>Two NATO allies\u2019 ships \u2014 the British \u201cDragon\u201d destroyer and the French \u201cCharles de Gaulle\u201d aircraft carrier \u2014 are en route to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, presumably to help reopen it. We should welcome the help, even from our reluctant allies.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the ships will complicate things enormously. We should tell the British and French governments, \u201cPlease, don\u2019t help me.\u201d When, not if, the Iranians attack these ships, it will bring their governments into the war, which is definitely what they do not want. (Of course, the French may surrender.)<\/p>\n<p>The big meeting with China seemed to produce no surprises. China said it won\u2019t rearm Iran during the war, which may not be true, and agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should be reopened to all ships.<\/p>\n<p>But, and this is a huge \u201cbut,\u201d Xi warned Trump to stay away from Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>It could, according to Xi\u2019s words, cause \u201cconflicts\u201d among our nations. Which means war. Trump was noncommittal on Taiwan. Trump is also bragging that he made generous trade deals with China that will bring trillions of dollars to the U.S. Let\u2019s hope it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<p><em>Jed Babbin\u00a0is a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jedbabbin\"><strong>@jedbabbin<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-zogby-grade-d-nice-to-see-china-again\">John Zogby: Grade D (nice to see China again)<\/h2>\n<p>Presidents love foreign trips because foreign policy and diplomacy are in their control, allowing them to shape their legacy with little or no interference from Congress. Trump is basking in the glow of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-korea-keeps-testing-icbms-and-we-cant-stop-them\/\" title=\"North Korea Keeps Testing ICBMs (And We Can\u2019t Stop Them)\">high-profile summit<\/a> with Xi. His history with China has not been positive \u2014 he is embroiled with allies and enemies, and faces an economy that could derail his leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Trump began his second presidential term with the same playbook as his first: Bludgeon Beijing with tariffs and extract concessions. But in the four years between the two terms, Xi had taken pains to ensure this tactic would no longer work, with export controls on rare earth metals that are indispensable to American arms manufacturers and carmakers. Trump\u2019s threat of retaliatory tariffs faced a hard new reality.<\/p>\n<p>So the U.S. now accounts for just 10% of Chinese exports, down from almost 20% at the start of Trump\u2019s first term in 2016. Chinese factories have reoriented towards Asia, Europe, and Latin America, reducing the impact of U.S. tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>But enough about China. On Monday night, the 79-year-old president went on numerous rants, ranging from unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama tried to stage a coup in 2016, to reposting demands that former State Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hillary-clinton\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hillary-clinton\/\">Hillary Clinton<\/a> should be shipped off to Haiti, to bizarre claims that Obama made a profit of $120 million from the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n<p>And the news about the economy keeps getting worse. Wednesday\u2019s Producer Price Index report showed the war with Iran is raising costs for US businesses at a rate not seen in nearly four years, increasing the likelihood that companies will pass on those higher costs to consumers.<\/p>\n<p>The index, a measure of wholesale inflation, increased in April to 6% on an annual basis from 4% in March, well exceeding expectations. On a monthly basis, the index increased 1.4%, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That\u2019s twice the pace that economists expected and the second-largest since the index began in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>A 15.6% increase in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-high-migration-economy-wages-crash-by-almost-3-percent\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s High-Migration Economy: Wages Crash by Almost 3 Percent\">gas prices accounted<\/a> for 40% of the increase in prices businesses paid last month. That only looks to be getting worse, with oil prices yet to reach their peak levels and global inventories falling at a record pace, according to a report released Wednesday by the International Energy Agency.<\/p>\n<p>In the 1960s, the Mamas and Papas famously sang about their most popular member, \u201cand no one\u2019s getting fat except Mama Cass.\u201d As Trump travels with the CEOs of several of the companies he has invested in, he has made clear that he does not care about anyone facing tough financial decisions while he and his friends get fat.<\/p>\n<p><em>John Zogby<strong> <\/strong>is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/\">John Zogby Strategies.<\/a> His latest book is <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beyond-Horse-Race-Polls-Should\/dp\/1538197146\">Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should<\/a><em>. His podcast with son, managing partner, and pollster Jeremy Zogby, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/the-zogby-report\/\">can be heard here.<\/a> Follow him on X <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zogbystrategies\">@ZogbyStrategies<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-electronic-safety-first\">Electronic safety first<\/h2>\n<p>Any trip to China comes with security precautions. Particularly when the trip involves the president, his closest aides, and reporters with access to the White House and Air Force One. Burner phones were the order of the day, for example, to prevent Chinese security agencies from vacuuming up data when connecting to local networks.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump made a toast at Thursday\u2019s banquet, he sipped from a glass, which was quickly collected not by a Chinese waiter but by an American aide. No one wants the president\u2019s fingerprints or DNA being harvested from a discarded utensil.<\/p>\n<p>And American aides made reporters hand in any passes or pins issued by the local hosts before they boarded Air Force One for the flight home. They were dumped in a bin, along with White House staff burner phones, to make sure nothing was carried on to the presidential jet that could have been used to collect information.<\/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.ft.com\/content\/d62d3361-a337-4e2c-ab6b-afb791ba566f?syn-25a6b1a6=1\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/d62d3361-a337-4e2c-ab6b-afb791ba566f?syn-25a6b1a6=1\"><strong>\u2018It all flows from Trump\u2019: Brendan Carr, US broadcast media watchdog<\/strong><\/a>: One of the most bizarre Lunches with the FT that you are likely to read. There\u2019s a dab, a song, a joke about a tattoo. The chair of the Federal Communications Commission sounds like a fun lunch date.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/14\/arts\/design\/george-washington-praying-trump-right-wing.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/14\/arts\/design\/george-washington-praying-trump-right-wing.html\"><strong>How an image of Washington at prayer became a touchstone for the Right<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cWashington really did cross the Delaware. But the story of his dropping to his knees in solitary prayer at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-8, at one of the bleakest moments of the American Revolution, is more legend than history.\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#f487919786918087b48395879c9d9a93809b9a918c95999d9a9186da979b99\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"cfbcaaacbdaabbbc8fb8aebca7a6a1a8bba0a1aab7aea2a6a1aabde1aca0a2\">[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<\/p>\n<p><canvas width=\"800\" height=\"1035.2941176470588\"><\/canvas><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Friday\u2019s Washington Secrets-our weekly Trump recap: Iran, Iran, Iran, Iran, then China, China<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2603182,"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\/AP26135140701624_871820.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4501,3634,32127],"class_list":["post-2603181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-china","tag-trump","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26135140701624_871820.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603181","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=2603181"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2603185,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2603181\/revisions\/2603185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2603182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2603181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2603181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2603181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}