Donald Trump spent Thursday lavishing praise on Xi Jinping, while the Chinese leader used his visit to the White House to deliver a power move with a warning for America to stay in its lane.
In front of Trump, and for the second time in four months, Xi urged the two countries to avoid the so-called “Thucydides Trap”—the historical theory that tensions between a rising power and an established one can spiral into war.
“The Thucydides trap can be overcome,” Xi said, calling for the two countries to “coexist in peace” and for U.S. competition to be “kept within bounds.”
It was a strikingly sober message delivered during a ceremony Trump had gone to extraordinary lengths to make spectacular.
And it wasn’t the first time Xi had issued the warning either, having invoked the same phrase, word for word, when he met Trump in Beijing in May.
Thursday’s comments came after Trump rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese Communist Party leader and personally greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday night.
On Thursday morning, the White House staged a full arrival ceremony involving 479 military personnel from every branch of the armed forces, complete with national anthems, a Marine Silent Drill Platoon, a military review and a flyover by a B-2 bomber and four F-22 Raptors.
Chinese and American flags flew side by side as the two presidents reviewed American troops in the Rose Garden.
Trump also took Xi on a private tour of the White House, showing off photos of him and Xi that are displayed in the West Wing, boasting about the stone he used to build the new helipad on the South Lawn and pointing out a photo of an autopen in the so-called “presidential walk of fame.” Trump explained to Xi that it represented his predecessor, Joe Biden.
And yet, after Trump opened his remarks by describing Xi as a “truly great friend” and boasting about their relationship, Xi effectively reminded his host that this was not simply a friendship between two men—but a strategic contest between two rival superpowers.
The Thucydides trap is a relatively modern concept based around the historian Thucydides’s quote about the second Peloponnesian War (431 B.C. to 404 B.C.): “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
The Western view has Sparta as the United States and China as the upstart Athens; however, Xi may see it differently, with his comments implying that China is catching up to America—if it hasn’t already.
Trump, however, seemed oblivious to the power move, saying the day was “magnificent” while lashing out at CNN and MS NOW for not covering the event—even though he had locked them out of the White House until a judge forced the administration to return their credentials.
“CNN and MSDNC (sic) to show you how fake they are, today refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China, Xi Jinping, and his beautiful wife, Madam Peng,” he lamented on Truth Social.
“The event was magnificent—Actually made for Television but, because they’re Fake News, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn’t want credit to be given to “TRUMP,” they refused to be there."
“That’s why they have such poor Ratings,” he continued. “Tonight’s State Dinner at the White House, for President Xi, will be spectacular!”
Beneath that pomp and ceremony, the visit has already proved contentious for Trump.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker said China was an adversary and raised concerns about human rights abuses and its alliance with Iran.
China buys roughly 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, providing a huge source of revenue despite U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
Four other Republican senators—led by the ailing Mitch McConnell—also signed a letter warning about the threat of China in the Indo-Pacific and demanding Trump release billions of dollars in security aid for Taiwan.
And MAGA acolyte Laura Loomer said it was “truly embarrassing that American men and women in uniform” were asked to greet “the communist dictator of China” at Joint Base Andrews.
“I guess everyone forgot about the China Virus and China’s interference in the 2020 election. Unbelievable,” she lamented.
