Trump made up those 'high-level' Chinese trade-talk calls to boost markets, aides admit

(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 29 August 2019

On Monday morning, President Trump told reporters in Biarritz, France, that "China called last night" and said they want to resume trade talks, later elaborating that two "high-level" Chinese officials had called to try and restart stalled negotiations. He turned to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for backup, and Mnuchin said there had been "communication," later amending it to "communications."

Well, "aides privately conceded the phone calls Trump described didn't happen the way he said they did," CNN reported Wednesday. "Instead, two officials said Trump was eager to project optimism that might boost markets, and conflated comments from China's vice premier with direct communication from the Chinese."

Trump is agitated, CNN reports, because "the economy is flashing warning signs Trump didn't expect, his trade war with China is dragging on months longer than expected yet he refuses to give in," and he's "spinning to find victories to sell to voters." The voters may be fooled — China apparently isn't.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.