Former President Donald Trump took a hardline stance against China during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday, promising to enforce a 2020 trade deal and demand the death penalty for fentanyl dealers operating in the country.
Trump asserted that his “first call” if re-elected to the Oval Office would be to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He stated, “I’m going to say, ‘You have to honor the deal you made. We made a deal. You’d buy $50 billion worth of American farm product. And I guarantee you he will buy it. 100% he will buy it.'”
The 2020 trade deal, known as the “phase one” agreement, involved China’s commitment to address intellectual property theft, currency manipulation, financial services cooperation, and purchase $200 billion in American products over two years.
Trump also declared that he would demand the death penalty for fentanyl dealers sending the deadly drug across the US-Mexico border. “Second thing I’m going to do is, I’m going to say you have to give the death penalty to your fentanyl dealers who are sending fentanyl. You know, in China, they give the death penalty. They don’t have a drug problem because they give the death penalty,” Trump stated.
Trump criticized the Biden administration for failing to enforce the trade deal and failing to address the fentanyl crisis. He also pointed to his administration’s success in building a border wall, claiming it was the most secure border in US history.
Trump was joined by former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, and other political supporters at the event, which was part of the Protecting America Initiative. The initiative aims to counter China’s influence in various sectors of American society, including agriculture, education, and national security.
These strong statements by Trump highlight his focus on China and his desire to take a more assertive approach in future negotiations and security matters if re-elected.
