Trump 2.0 Wonders Why His Firewall Now Has a Door Labeled ‘Welcome, China’

KEY POINTS

•Trump’s first term launched aggressive trade wars and technology bans against China, including Huawei and TikTok restrictions.
•Returning to office, Trump eased sanctions, struck an October trade truce with China, and planned reciprocal visits with Xi Jinping.
•His administration softened anti-Russia stances, proposed Ukraine yield Donbas to Moscow, and advocated reintegrating Russia into the G7.

President Trump’s geopolitical sequel is the diplomatic equivalent of a reality show plot twist. Trump 1.0 kicked off a global arms race against China naming Huawei and TikTok the villains, burned tariffs like it was a BBQ, and declared a Xinjiang genocide for good measure. Fast forward, Trump 2.0 sparks a trade truce with Xi Jinping in October, dials down sanctions for cyber typhoons, cops an unexpected China dove vibe by lifting Nvidia's H200 chip ban in December, and schedules mutual state visits for 2026. Meanwhile, warm vibes with Russia include cozy peace plans demanding Ukraine hand over Donbas like a parcel service, revive Russia’s G7 dreams (despite Crimea baggage), and ambition to co-pilot energy and rare earth deals. It’s diplomacy rebranded: spheres of influence are now just pricey stability subscriptions, with Trump barking ‘hands off my backyard’ at Venezuela meeting China-Russia speed-daters. Subtle? Not so much.