Trump's aides are reportedly promising him re-election if he 'nukes' his China trade deal

President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 4 August 2020

President Trump may end up throwing out what was supposed to be the biggest foreign policy achievement of his first term.

Trump has spent pretty much all of his presidency trying to work out a trade deal with China, sparking an all-out tariff war along the way. But all of that may have been for naught as Trump's advisers work to convince him to "nuke" the whole thing before November, saying it's his best chance to boost his re-election chances, four people with knowledge of the situation tell The Daily Beast.

National and swing state polls keep putting former Vice President Joe Biden safely ahead of Trump to win this fall's election, and advisers have been looking for ways to change his fate. Conservative economist Stephen Moore tells The Daily Beast it could benefit Trump to capitalize on anti-China sentiment both within the White House and around the country right now. And while Moore stopped short of calling to completely abandon the trade deal, Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro and other aides have reportedly gotten Trump at least considering it.

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The U.S. and China reached a "phase one" trade deal in February, which didn't actually mark much concrete progress after two years of negotiations and tit-for-tat tariffs. Trump has only ramped up his criticism of China since then, and has repeatedly said he wants to hold it responsible for the coronavirus pandemic. It's unclear how blowing up the deal would punish China for COVID-19 or help the American farmers and businesses who the trade war has hurt along the way.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.