Xi Jinping’s Taiwan Warning Made Trump Go Quiet

Mallen Baker: Faultlines · May 14, 2026 · 17m

President Donald Trump is very used to deploying fiery rhetoric against his enemies to seek to cow them into submission, even though he's found his brand of bluster to be losing its effectiveness in recent months. But it seems that China's President Xi Jinping has found the more effective formula, as his warnings in relation to Taiwan, delivered during today's state visit to Beijing, had the effect of making Trump refuse to answer journalist questions on the topic at all. It highlighted just how focused the Chinese have been in setting parameters for the relationship with Trump. But it also…