Trump: China’s president should get a Big Mac, not a state dinner

[cigaretteman]

Joining Walker in the stupid comment about China department:

Xi Jinping is coming to dinner -- and Donald Trump ain't pleased.

In an appearance Monday evening on the "The O’Reilly Factor," the presidential candidate and sayer of things about China criticized the Obama administration for its plans to hold a state dinner when the Chinese president visits Washington next month.

"I would not be throwing him a dinner. I would get him a McDonald’s hamburger and say we’ve got to get down to work because you can’t continue to devalue," he said, according to a transcript published by the Daily Caller.

"We’ll give him a state dinner and what he has done is suck all the jobs, suck all the money right out of our country."

But the proposed breach of diplomatic protocol is nothing personal, it seems. Trump said the problem was not China or its president. When talked turned to "trade wars" between China and the United States, Trump called China's leaders "intelligent."

"Their leaders are intelligent. Ours aren’t. We don’t know what we are doing."

Trump's comments echo earlier remarks he made about China's apparent strength relative to the United States — even as China's economy tanks.

In the first Republican debate, Trump invoked China several times, casting China "the winner" as a foil to an America in decline. "We don't win anymore. We lose to China. We lose to Mexico both in trade and at the border. We lose to everybody," he said.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has also called for the cancellation of Xi Jinping's state visit.

"Why would we be giving one of our highest things a president can do — and that is a state dinner for Xi Jinping, the head of China — at a time when all of these problems are pending out there?" he told reporters on Monday.

We should say those ... honors should only be bestowed upon leaders and countries that are allies and supporters of the United States, not just for China, which is a strategic competitor."

Chinese authorities have not responded to either remark.

The state visit is still very much on.

No word, yet, on the menu.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...uld-get-a-big-mac-not-a-state-dinner/?hpid=z2

 

[cigaretteman]

Angry anti-China rhetoric from U.S. politicians escalated Monday as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) called on President Obama to cancel Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the White House next month.

Walker cited the economic turmoil Monday that roiled U.S. stock markets, which analysts said began over concerns about China's slowing growth, as the latest in a string of provocations from Beijing.

"Why would we be giving one of our highest things a president can do -- and that is a state dinner for Xi Jinping, the head of China -- at a time when all of these problems are pending out there?" Scott Walker told reporters following a visit to the Carolina Pregnancy Center in Spartanburg, S.C., on Monday afternoon. "We should say those... honors should only be bestowed upon leaders and countries that are allies and supporters of the United States, not just for China, which is a strategic competitor."

Walker said that a disinvitation would be a diplomatic move that other countries would respect.

"I think China, as others in the world, would actually respect some leadership once and for all from the United States. Part of our problem right now is that they don't respect us," Walker said. "...This is sending a clear message that we expect better out of China."

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has been hammering China for months; Walker said Monday that it's something he has been worried about for just as long. Walker mentioned China as a threat during his announcement speech on July 13 -- a topic he seldom, if ever, mentioned before then which has become a regular part of his stump speech. Walker said his action today has nothing to do with Trump, who is beating him in early polls.

"It's something I've talked about repeatedly... Just because the media covers some candidates more than others doesn't mean the rest of us aren't talking about things. It's just that we don't get the same level of coverage." He said the timing of Monday's statement was intended to coincide with the stock market turmoil in the wake of the Chinese move to devalue their currency.

Wisconsin currently has two trade missions to China planned for next year. In 2013, Walker himself visited China on a trade mission.

[Fading in the polls, Scott Walker struggles to attract Trump voters]

Xi is scheduled to make his first state visit to the White House in late September, a summit with Obama that comes amid increasing tensions between the two countries over the alleged hacking by Chinese operatives of U.S. government personnel records and maritime skirmishes in the South China Sea.

China's move two weeks ago to devalue its currency, which some analysts said was tied to Beijing's efforts to prop up exports and boost its economy, drew angry responses from U.S. lawmakers in both parties. On Monday, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, both criticized U.S. trade and economic policy.

U.S. officials have said the summit will offer a chance for the Obama to raise concerns with Xi, while also making progress on other areas of cooperation such as combating climate change. China is also among the nations involved with the United States on a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.

But Walker said that Obama should cancel the visit because "there's serious work to be done rather than pomp and circumstance. We need to see some backbone from President Obama."

In his six-and-a-half years, Obama has held eight state visits for eight world leaders of India, Mexico, China, South Korea, Germany, Britain, France and Japan. In 2013, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff canceled a state visit invitation from Obama over revelations that the United States had spied on her personal communications.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...me-backbone-by-canceling-chinese-state-visit/

 

[cigaretteman]

Monday’s global stock market sell-off is obviously scary for those readers with memories of 2008 still somewhat fresh in their cerebellums. And this is pretty serious, in that it seems more clear than ever that China’s economy is a) slowing down dramatically; and b) not responding to increasingly desperate Chinese government efforts to prop it up. Since China is the world’s second-largest economy, a slowdown there obviously has global effects.

So at a minimum, this has some ripple effects across the global economy, as well as prompting some gallows humor. That said, the U.S. economy has still been chugging along pretty well. A true Chinese collapse would probably put the U.S. economy into recession.

At the same time, China’s Black Monday reveals something useful: how potential U.S. presidents are reacting to the market selloff. This is a big deal. One can argue that John McCain sank his chances for election in 2008 when he said “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.”

McCain got into trouble by saying things were okay when they weren’t. On the other hand, candidates don’t do too well when they panic when panic doesn’t seem appropriate (see: Ebola, Rand Paul’s reaction to). In a way, these kind of exogenous shocks are a worthwhile test of how well a candidate can think on his or her feet and act like, you know, a leader of the free world.

So how did the candidates react Monday? The New York Times’ Gerry Mullany and Alan Rappeport report on a few reactions.

Republican presidential candidates began shifting their focus on Monday from the dangers posed by illegal immigrants to a new target: China, whose currency devaluations and stock market plunges are starting to hurt the savings of American investors.

One Republican candidate, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, called on President Obama on Monday to cancel his plans to meet in Washington next month with President Xi Jinping of China on what will be his first state visit to the United States. Mr. Walker accused Beijing of a range of offenses that have harmed American interests, including manipulating its economy and currency, carrying out cyberattacks and persecuting Christians.

Wait. What? Oh, Time’s Zeke Miller has more:

Earlier Monday, Walker blamed much of the recent drop in the financial markets on China’s recent currency devaluation.
“Americans are struggling to cope with the fall in today’s markets driven in part by China’s slowing economy and the fact that they actively manipulate their economy,” Walker said. “Rather than honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping with an official state visit next month, President Obama should focus on holding China accountable over its increasing attempts to undermine U.S. interests. Given China’s massive cyberattacks against America, its militarization of the South China Sea, continued state interference with its economy, and persistent persecution of Christians and human rights activists, President Obama needs to cancel the state visit.”
Wait. What?

Frankly, at this point both U.S. and Chinese officials wish China could actively manipulate their economy. What’s happening this month is evidence, in fact, that market forces can easily override Chinese government manipulation. To be sure, Walker lists legitimate beefs with the People’s Republic, but I’m pretty sure cancelling the state visit would not hep at all on any of them.

Even Walker’s defenders acknowledge that “this is a bit of kabuki showmanship to demonstrate that Walker, too, is angry at China.” So let’s move on. Did other GOP candidates say anything about China today?



Oh, for the love of– look, I’ll keep this simple. If American voters really want any market volatility to metastasize into an actual Great Depression, then by all means break ties with China and Asia. But the only reason the 2008 financial crisis wasn’t worse was precisely because that didn’t happen.

Politico’s Ben White notes that Trump wasn’t the only candidate to sound stupid on this topic:

Trump’s candidacy is not based on logical precision but rather intense emotion. The same is true for Sanders, who also seized on the market moment in a tweet from the populist left: “For the past 40 years, Wall Street and the billionaire class have rigged the rules to redistribute wealth to the richest among us.”….

“If you are an anti-establishment candidate right now, you are going to use this to further the notion that China is taking advantage of us and that the U.S. stock market is rigged and that nobody in the establishment or Washington is doing anything about it,” said GOP consultant Lenny Alcivar. “But the problem for these candidates is that this is coming in August of 2015 and not January of 2016 or even late in the fall of 2016 — and it’s not at all clear that it will last and it would be foolish for any of the establishment candidates to go down this rabbit hole.”

Except that’s what Scott Walker did. Oh, and then there’s Chris Christie:


Let’s be clear: China owning lots of U.S. government debt has exactly zero to do with what’s happening right now. If anything, the gyrating Chinese stock market and depreciating yuan, combined with general developing country malaise, will trigger a massive surge of interest in U.S. government debt. So Christie is simply wrong here.

The scariest thing about Black Monday wasn’t the stock market fluctuations. Those will hopefully be temporary enough in the United States. No, the scariest thing was how one day of financial volatility was enough to make four presidential candidates — Christie, Sanders, Trump, and Walker — say really stupid things about the Chinese economy and the Sino-American relationship.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/post...truly-scary-thing-about-black-monday/?hpid=z2

 

[thewop]

I don't believe taxing American companies more for producing overseas is the answer. Here's the thing. What % of American citizens are currently sitting at home on welfare or without a paycheck because their factory job was eliminated? Let's say it's 3%. It's nowhere near that high, but lets say it is.

If the price of every good we buy currently made overseas (Food, clothing, electronics, etc.) went up by 10% because it's now made in the USA, what % of Americans would that adversely impact who are already living near paycheck to paycheck? My guess: more than the number of jobs created.

In many instances, the cost to produce a good in the USA would go down some (Lower than it currently is, but still higher than it is in China) due to economies of scale, and this may help us export more as a nation, which would benefit relatively few. I'm just not convinced the benefit gained from making it more difficult for companies to import is worth the extra cost placed on the American consumer.

I also believe that in an effort to reduce cost further, companies would invest heavily in automation, eliminating as many jobs as possible in the long run, raising the question how many jobs could actually be recovered after we commit to the price increases of the consumer.

Where I land: The global economy is not a bad thing, let those who are good at stuff provide that stuff to the rest of the world. Lets not forget that just because we make it hard on our own companies doesn't mean other countries will follow suit, making it less likely we gain many export partners out of it.

 

[22*43*51]

I don't see where either Walker, or Trump missed here.

Unless, it's more about the MacDonald's comment?

The criticism of China is spot on.

 

[22*43*51]

 

[dgordo]

Im confused, is trump saying that china is purposely tanking their economy to screw us?

 

[22*43*51]

 

[cigaretteman]

Im confused, is trump saying that china is purposely tanking their economy to screw us?

When the Chinese economy is booming, American politicians portray its success as a deliberate attack on the American economy. Apparently, any Chinese growth must come at the expense of the United States, in the zero-sum-game attitude best exemplified by Donald Trump’s “We’re losing to China” shtick.

Now that the Chinese economy is showing visible signs of distress, however, politicians are scrambling to cast Chinese economic turmoil as a deliberate attack on the American economy, too. Here’s Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s rather confused attempt to out-China-bash Trump:

Americans are struggling to cope with the fall in today’s markets driven in part by China’s slowing economy and the fact that they actively manipulate their economy. Rather than honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping with an official state visit next month, President Obama should focus on holding China accountable over its increasing attempts to undermine U.S. interests.

Trump has made similar insinuations, warning after China’s stock slide yesterday that Americans should “Be careful, they’ll bring us down.”

Got that? When China is doing well, it’s a plot to take down America; when China is struggling, it’s also a plot to take down America. Our economic fortunes are inversely correlated when things are good in China, but directly correlated when things are bad there. I can’t tell if this obliviously paradoxical rhetoric reflects narcissism, paranoia or lazy fear-mongering. Either way, China has officially become America’s most flexible scapegoat.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...think-this-chinese-market-crash-is-about-you/

 

[cigaretteman]

Dammit, I might have to actually get registered again so I can vote for this guy.

Are you sure you're eligible to vote? I'd still like to see your mother's birth certificate to be sure she was a citizen when you were born!

 

[TexMichFan]

When the Chinese economy is booming, American politicians portray its success as a deliberate attack on the American economy. Apparently, any Chinese growth must come at the expense of the United States, in the zero-sum-game attitude best exemplified by Donald Trump’s “We’re losing to China” shtick.

Now that the Chinese economy is showing visible signs of distress, however, politicians are scrambling to cast Chinese economic turmoil as a deliberate attack on the American economy, too. Here’s Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s rather confused attempt to out-China-bash Trump:

Americans are struggling to cope with the fall in today’s markets driven in part by China’s slowing economy and the fact that they actively manipulate their economy. Rather than honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping with an official state visit next month, President Obama should focus on holding China accountable over its increasing attempts to undermine U.S. interests.

Trump has made similar insinuations, warning after China’s stock slide yesterday that Americans should “Be careful, they’ll bring us down.”

Got that? When China is doing well, it’s a plot to take down America; when China is struggling, it’s also a plot to take down America. Our economic fortunes are inversely correlated when things are good in China, but directly correlated when things are bad there. I can’t tell if this obliviously paradoxical rhetoric reflects narcissism, paranoia or lazy fear-mongering. Either way, China has officially become America’s most flexible scapegoat.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...think-this-chinese-market-crash-is-about-you/

I don't know cigaretteman, there is finally a Republican candidate bemoaning the lose of jobs to China and he gets attacked as not knowing what he is talking about. Demopcrats complain about this all the time and the theme is they care for the little people.

 

[22*43*51]

When the Chinese economy is booming, American politicians portray its success as a deliberate attack on the American economy. Apparently, any Chinese growth must come at the expense of the United States, in the zero-sum-game attitude best exemplified by Donald Trump’s “We’re losing to China” shtick.

Don't you remember every candidate in every debate in 2012 say "We have to make China play by the rules?"

BHO said that gem as much as he did "If you like your Doctor..." shtick.

 

[cigaretteman]

I don't know cigaretteman, there is finally a Republican candidate bemoaning the lose of jobs to China and he gets attacked as not knowing what he is talking about. Demopcrats complain about this all the time and the theme is they care for the little people.

Well, the fact remains that, as in most cases, he DOESN'T know what he's talking about. You don't cancel a state dinner with the leader of the world's second largest economy over ongoing disputes where both sides have made their positions clear for years.

 

[22*43*51]

Well, the fact remains that, as in most cases, he DOESN'T know what he's talking about. You don't cancel a state dinner with the leader of the world's second largest economy over ongoing disputes where both sides have made their positions clear for years.

So the McDonald's dig is your primary issue here?

Interesting.