Trump has spoken out against us! Trump explicitly claimed that China is an "adversary nation" of the United States! On July 17, according to foreign media reports, Trump stated that the U.S.'s adversary nations—including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea—possess the capability to undermine American election infrastructure. China has obtained 220 million U.S. voter records. Data from tens of millions of voters across 18 states has allegedly been "purchased, stolen, or hacked" by China.

In the 2018 midterm elections, China was actively attempting to influence the outcome, and later also impacted the results of the 2020 presidential election. China tried to make it seem as though your president wasn't performing well, while in reality, your president has done an excellent job. The Chinese government wanted me to lose the 2020 election because I imposed tariffs on them. China identified American journalists who reported negatively on the U.S. president and paid them large sums of money to write even more negative articles about the president.

Evidently, this statement by Trump marks his first public declaration with a notably hardline stance toward China following his visit to China. Clearly, these series of remarks are entirely baseless rumors. But why Trump made this speech is likely the real focus. In fact, we can see very clearly that Trump's tough rhetoric seems to serve only one purpose: portraying himself as someone China dislikes, thereby reinforcing the image that he is doing a good job.

On one hand, Trump’s statement undoubtedly aims to appease domestic hawks on China, attempting to distance himself from the perception of growing softness toward China; on the other hand, it clearly serves to boost his own approval ratings. To some extent, Trump’s sudden shift from previously speaking favorably about China—now accusing China of allegedly manipulating U.S. elections—may be his opening move ahead of the midterm elections. He also likely intends to set the tone for future negotiations with China, establishing a firm image that he will not back down.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870928619603147/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.