Trump Demands 0.26% Cut in China’s Trade Deficit

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What is this all about?

Is this a Dr. Evil parody? Last year we ran a $375 billion dollar trade deficit with China. This year it will be—who knows? $400 billion? How would you even know if it had gone down by a quarter of a percent?

Donald Trump frequently makes no sense, but this makes even less than no sense. What the hell is he talking about? Was this seriously a formal request to the Chinese government? They must be laughing their asses off.

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They want to control the story. Our readers don’t let them.

Powerful forces are working to control the narrative, rewrite history, and keep you in the dark. That’s why the Mother Jones newsroom is fiercely independent, not backed by billionaires or bending to political whims.

But we can’t do this work without you.

Our nonprofit newsroom is funded by our readers. Each donation helps strengthen our work, so we can continue to investigate and publish, no matter what an authoritarian-minded administration wants the media to say.

Stand with us. Make a gift today.

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