‘Referring to the tremendous damage…’: Trump says he 100% agrees with Xi that US is in decline
Trump said Xi was not referring to "the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration".
- May 15, 2026,
- Updated May 15, 2026 8:09 AM IST
US President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was "100 per cent correct" in describing the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, but said Xi was referring to the years of his predecessor Joe Biden. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US had suffered "tremendous damage" during the four years of the Biden administration.
Trump made the remarks during his visit to China, the first by a US president since his last trip in 2017, as the two sides held talks on trade and wider bilateral issues. The summit has also brought sharp attention to Taiwan, even as both leaders publicly struck a friendly tone and spoke of improving ties.
MUST READ | Taiwan flashpoint, Iran war, trade deals: Key takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit
In his Truth Social post, Trump said, "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100 per cent correct." He said the US had suffered immeasurably from "open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women's sports, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI), horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!"
Trump also asserted that the US had seen "an incredible rise" during the first 16 months of his administration. He pointed to record stock markets, military victories, renewed economic strength and what he described as a booming job market. He also cited a military victory and a thriving relationship in Venezuela, as well as the "military decimation" of Iran. Trump said Xi was not referring to "the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration".
He said that he agreed with Xi that two years ago, the US was a nation in decline but it is now "the hottest nation anywhere in the world" and expressed hope that its relationship with China would be "stronger and better than ever before".
Trump has been seeking tangible results from the visit as he faces crucial midterm elections, with the trip also coming as US courts have limited his ability to levy tariffs at will and as price increases linked to the Iran war have made him politically vulnerable at home. The summit was aimed at maintaining a fragile trade truce struck when the leaders last met in October, when Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earths. The two leaders are scheduled to have tea and lunch before Trump returns to the United States.
Xi told Trump on Thursday that negotiations on trade issues had reached "balanced and positive outcomes", without elaborating. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV on Friday that it had not been decided whether the truce would be extended after it expires later this year, but said deals had been firmed up on Chinese purchases of farm goods, beef and Boeing aircraft.
Greer also said progress had been made on establishing mechanisms to manage future bilateral trade, with both sides expected to identify 30 billion dollars of non-sensitive goods, and added that the Taiwan issue should not push that off the rails.
US President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was "100 per cent correct" in describing the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, but said Xi was referring to the years of his predecessor Joe Biden. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US had suffered "tremendous damage" during the four years of the Biden administration.
Trump made the remarks during his visit to China, the first by a US president since his last trip in 2017, as the two sides held talks on trade and wider bilateral issues. The summit has also brought sharp attention to Taiwan, even as both leaders publicly struck a friendly tone and spoke of improving ties.
MUST READ | Taiwan flashpoint, Iran war, trade deals: Key takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit
In his Truth Social post, Trump said, "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100 per cent correct." He said the US had suffered immeasurably from "open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women's sports, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI), horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!"
Trump also asserted that the US had seen "an incredible rise" during the first 16 months of his administration. He pointed to record stock markets, military victories, renewed economic strength and what he described as a booming job market. He also cited a military victory and a thriving relationship in Venezuela, as well as the "military decimation" of Iran. Trump said Xi was not referring to "the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration".
He said that he agreed with Xi that two years ago, the US was a nation in decline but it is now "the hottest nation anywhere in the world" and expressed hope that its relationship with China would be "stronger and better than ever before".
Trump has been seeking tangible results from the visit as he faces crucial midterm elections, with the trip also coming as US courts have limited his ability to levy tariffs at will and as price increases linked to the Iran war have made him politically vulnerable at home. The summit was aimed at maintaining a fragile trade truce struck when the leaders last met in October, when Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earths. The two leaders are scheduled to have tea and lunch before Trump returns to the United States.
Xi told Trump on Thursday that negotiations on trade issues had reached "balanced and positive outcomes", without elaborating. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV on Friday that it had not been decided whether the truce would be extended after it expires later this year, but said deals had been firmed up on Chinese purchases of farm goods, beef and Boeing aircraft.
Greer also said progress had been made on establishing mechanisms to manage future bilateral trade, with both sides expected to identify 30 billion dollars of non-sensitive goods, and added that the Taiwan issue should not push that off the rails.