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America is finally getting a president who understands the art of bargaining, not the theatrics of surrender. As Heritage Foundation senior advisor Michael Pillsbury and former Bush national security official Michael Allen told Fox News Sunday, President Trump has read the room and is approaching a possible Xi meeting with a steady, calculated hand rather than headline-seeking bluster. Conservatives should welcome that discipline — it’s what wins deals and protects American workers.
Trump has said repeatedly he wants a fair, reciprocal deal with China and he’s not shy about using every lever of American power to get it. The president even described hopes for a “fantastic deal” ahead of talks with Xi, signaling optimism married to pressure that only a strong leader can wield on the world stage. This administration’s blend of diplomacy and muscle is exactly what we need after years of hollow appeasement.
Let’s be clear: leverage matters. The White House has put tariffs and trade restrictions squarely on the table as real bargaining chips — and the president has made plain he won’t hesitate to turn the screws if Beijing drags its feet. That kind of toughness is the only language the Chinese Communist Party respects, and Americans shouldn’t flinch when our leaders use it to defend industry and national security.
Veteran China-watchers like Pillsbury are right to caution that Xi operates under a different political logic; public concessions are dangerous for him, and real change often happens quietly. That’s why a discreet, calibrated approach — not breathless media theater — gives the United States the best chance of extracting concessions on trade, technology, and minerals crucial to our defense and industry. If Trump keeps his cards close and his tariffs ready, Beijing will have to decide whether it wants cooperation or confrontation.
There are signs talks are moving, but we must judge by results, not press releases. Administration officials have resumed trade discussions and set teams to negotiate the hard details, which is promising, yet the history of China’s bad-faith bargaining demands vigilance from Congress and the American people. We should applaud progress but demand ironclad guarantees that American jobs and security come first.
Some in the media will clutch their pearls and demand “restraint” while lecturing America about global norms; ignore them. Trump has repeatedly said he’s not chasing photo-ops abroad but would go to China if that’s what it takes to secure American interests, proving he’ll go where the job demands and not for the sake of optics. That kind of presidential focus — willing to meet but unwilling to be bullied — is exactly the posture that deters adversaries and advances peace through strength.
Patriots should stand behind a president who balances firmness with strategy, not the empty apologies and handshakes that have cost us factories and leverage for decades. Let Washington’s elites gripe while Trump uses real-world tools to protect American sovereignty, supply chains, and workers’ paychecks. If he stays “very carefully calibrated,” as experts say, we’ll get better outcomes for America and a safer, more prosperous future for our children.
