US President Donald Trump has stirred fresh political debate after publicly agreeing with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reported comment describing America as a “declining nation.”
However, Trump clarified that Xi’s remarks referred to the years under former US President Joe Biden and not the current administration.
Speaking on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he agreed “100 percent” with Xi’s assessment but insisted the decline happened during Biden’s presidency.
“He was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote.
The statement came during Trump’s high-profile visit to Beijing, where he held extensive talks with Xi on global trade, Taiwan, Iran, energy security and bilateral relations between the world’s two biggest economies.
In his lengthy statement, Trump strongly defended his administration’s performance and claimed the United States had witnessed a dramatic turnaround under his leadership.
According to Trump, the country has experienced economic growth, record investments and rising employment during the first 16 months of his presidency.
“Our country suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, rampant crime, bad trade deals and divisive policies,” Trump wrote.
He further claimed the US is now “the hottest nation anywhere in the world,” citing booming stock markets, strong military power and renewed foreign investment.
Trump also said Xi Jinping congratulated him during the summit for achieving “tremendous successes in such a short period of time.”
The remarks came after Xi Jinping reportedly warned that tensions between China and the United States could damage global stability if not handled carefully.
During the summit in Beijing, Xi called for cooperation instead of confrontation and urged both countries to maintain constructive communication on sensitive issues including Taiwan and international trade.
The two leaders also reportedly discussed the Iran conflict, energy trade routes and economic cooperation during the closed-door meetings.
The Trump-Xi summit has attracted worldwide attention as both countries attempt to stabilise ties amid growing geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
While no major breakthrough announcements have been made so far, officials from both sides described the talks as “positive” and “productive.”
Trump expressed optimism about future relations, saying he hopes ties between Washington and Beijing will become “stronger and better than ever before.”
