Trump Says Xi Sometimes ‘Gets Testy’ Over America’s Strength, Hints At Possible Trade Cuts With China
U.S. President Donald Trump has said his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping occasionally becomes tense due to what he described as Beijing’s discomfort with America’s growing strength.
Speaking at a White House luncheon with Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Trump noted that while his rapport with Xi remains cordial, there are moments of friction driven by China’s inability to “take advantage” of the United States.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi, but sometimes he gets testy because China likes to take advantage of people, and they can’t take advantage of us,” Trump told reporters.
The president emphasized that despite occasional disagreements, the bilateral relationship remains on solid ground.
“We have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s OK, too,” he added. Trump also used a boxing analogy to describe U.S. resilience amid international trade pressures.
“You have to go where the punches are thrown,” he said. “You gotta put up the blocks. We have a lot of punches being thrown, and we’ve been very successful.”
Shortly after the luncheon, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share additional remarks on the ongoing trade dispute. He accused Beijing of deliberately harming U.S. farmers by restricting purchases of American soybeans.
“I believe that China purposefully not buying our soybeans, and causing difficulty for our soybean farmers, is an economically hostile act,” Trump wrote.
He further revealed that his administration was considering halting trade with China in certain sectors as a retaliatory measure.
“We are considering terminating business with China having to do with cooking oil, and other elements of trade, as retribution,” he stated, adding that the U.S. can “easily produce” cooking oil domestically and therefore “doesn’t need to buy it from China.”
Meanwhile, Wall Street experienced noticeable turbulence on Tuesday as traders reacted to the renewed tensions between Washington and Beijing. The S&P 500 dropped 0.51% during morning trading, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 146.62 points, or 0.32%.
The Nasdaq composite fell by 0.90% earlier in the session before closing down 0.76%. By market close, however, the S&P 500 had narrowed losses to 0.16%, and the Dow rebounded, gaining 202.88 points, or 0.44%.
The fluctuations followed a volatile few days for the U.S. market, with sharp losses on Friday—its worst since April—followed by a strong rebound Monday. Analysts attributed the swings largely to shifting sentiment surrounding U.S.-China trade relations.
Financial experts say the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s trade stance continues to drive investor anxiety, with markets reacting swiftly to every new signal from Washington or Beijing.
