By John Q. Hosedrinker 
President Xi Jinping seemingly emulated King Charles’s approach to managing Donald Trump, first by engaging him with a special visit and elaborate ceremony. Following this, Xi conveyed a subtle yet significant message regarding Taiwan and the “Thucydides Trap,” suggesting America’s decline, a point Trump later misinterpreted. Despite initial claims of major trade deals and Iranian nuclear concessions, the summit yielded no such concrete agreements, with China offering no public support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz or increased rare earth mineral access, and Boeing securing fewer aircraft orders than anticipated. Trump’s rhetoric also shifted on issues like Chinese land acquisition and foreign students, a departure from his campaign stances.
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It really does feel like Donald Trump has been played, and the frustrating part is that the MAGA movement seems completely oblivious. It’s almost as if they’ve been conditioned to not notice, or perhaps more accurately, not to care. The recent interactions with China’s President Xi Jinping offer a stark example of this dynamic. Xi, much like King Charles before him, appears to have mastered the art of the subtle diplomatic maneuver, lavishing Trump with ceremony and grand gestures while simultaneously delivering a message that, if truly grasped, should have been deeply unsettling. The notion of being warned about “clashes and conflicts” and the “Thucydides Trap” – the idea that a rising power challenges a declining one – was clearly intended to convey Xi’s perception of America’s waning influence under Trump.
Yet, Trump’s response, broadcast on his Truth Social platform, was a bizarre twist, claiming Xi was actually referring to the perceived decline under Joe Biden. This level of cognitive dissonance is truly remarkable. His usual supporters, often so quick to celebrate every perceived win, were reportedly perplexed by the China summit, with many choosing to simply ignore it. Even seasoned observers like Sean Hannity, who traveled with Trump, struggled to elicit concrete agreements, particularly on crucial issues like Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump’s admission that Xi “is not going to respond too much” and is a “pretty cool guy” who wouldn’t directly confirm Trump’s claims speaks volumes about the lack of substance in their discussions.
The fervent optimism of some MAGA influencers, like Benny Johnson, who initially hailed the trip as a massive success with China supposedly helping to end the Iran war and striking massive trade deals, quickly faded into a more sober assessment. The idea that President Xi “thinks” he will help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz, when Xi had said absolutely nothing about it, highlights a desperate attempt to salvage a narrative. Even more telling is Trump’s own admission upon returning that he hadn’t even asked for China’s help, stating, “I don’t need favors.” This casual dismissal of a potential diplomatic victory, if one even existed, underscores a peculiar disconnect. Furthermore, the anticipated influx of rare earth minerals didn’t materialize, and Boeing’s stock price dipped when it became clear China’s aircraft orders were significantly lower than expected, and even those were uncertain.
What’s particularly galling is the deafening silence from the MAGA base regarding the presence of Eric Trump on the trip. This is the same group that vehemently criticized Joe Biden for taking his son Hunter to Beijing in 2013, decrying it as a scandal. Yet, when Eric Trump, whose personal wealth has reportedly surged dramatically since his father’s presidency, accompanies him on official business, it’s apparently a non-issue, merely a “personal capacity” visit. This stark hypocrisy is a recurring theme, demonstrating a willingness to overlook transgressions when committed by those within their own circle, while fiercely scrutinizing those perceived as outsiders.
The selective outrage doesn’t stop there. When Hannity attempted to reignite Trump’s prior criticisms of China, Trump demurred, even reversing his stance on China buying American farmland, a issue he’d previously railed against. He then adopted a surprisingly liberal tone regarding Chinese students in the US, suggesting it was “good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture.” This ideological flexibility, or perhaps opportunism, stands in stark contrast to the rigid ideological purity often demanded by his supporters. Back home, the reality of rising inflation and soaring fuel prices, coupled with widespread disapproval of his handling of the economy, further contrasts with any claimed diplomatic successes.
The most baffling takeaway from the entire trip, as articulated by Trump himself on Truth Social from Air Force One, was his observation that “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.!” This trivial focus on superficial aesthetics, rather than on substantive economic or geopolitical outcomes, perfectly encapsulates the superficiality that seems to define this political movement. The MAGA base, it appears, is not only content to be fooled but actively embraces it, finding a strange sort of satisfaction in being manipulated. Their loyalty seems to stem not from a shared ideology or a pursuit of tangible progress, but from a shared disdain for perceived enemies and a perverse enjoyment of upsetting those who disagree with them. The idea that they simply “haven’t noticed” they’ve been fooled feels almost too charitable; it’s more likely they’ve been fooled so many times that the concept of being fooled has become irrelevant, a feature rather than a bug in their political ecosystem.