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President Donald Trump holds “all the cards” in negotiations with Beijing, according to Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson.
Hanson argued on Friday that America’s dominant power, economy and the rise of artificial intelligence allow Trump to negotiate from a position of power.
“All the information shows that the cards are in Donald Trump’s hands,” Hanson said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “He can be [as] he’s as big as he wants to be, but he’s got all the cards in his hand, and they don’t have them.”
Trump left China on Friday after a two-day summit, his first visit to the country since November 2017. The two world leaders were due to meet at the end of March, but the outbreak of hostilities in Iran pushed the meeting back.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven on May 14, 2026, in Beijing, China, during a high-level summit between the two leaders. Xi warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could put the United States and China “in conflict.” (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)
Hanson also pointed to factors such as China’s declining birth rate, its heavy dependence on foreign oil and the United States’ success in keeping Beijing’s influence out of the Western Hemisphere as clear indications that Trump is strong.
“China does not exist [going to] become a player. And if it’s a player, of course [going to] have the consent of the United States,” said Hanson.
He compared modern concerns about China to previous world powers, including America’s past concerns about the Soviet Union and Japan.
“China is the latest category that we should all feel bad about, but it is [going to] we meet the same fate as these other so-called superpowers[d],” Hanson said.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump expressed optimism about trade progress during the trip, saying on Air Force One, “We had a great time. It was an amazing time. President Xi is an incredible guy. We made a lot of trade deals.”
The president also said that China is willing to help move negotiations with Iran.
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Major topics, however, appear to have been left unfinished, including Taiwan and the release of political prisoner and Hong Kong media leader Jimmy Lai.
When pressed on the arms package in Taiwan, Trump said he did not want to see a war break out with China.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (Kenny Holston/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Nothing has changed. I’ll say this: I’m not looking for an independent,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “And, you know, we have to travel 9,500 kilometers to fight a war. I’m not looking at that. I want them to calm down. I want China to calm down.”
But Hanson said Trump would not abandon Taiwan’s support for China’s help in the Iran talks.
“They want things from us, and we don’t need them,” he said. “And there is none [going to] sell Taiwan for help from Iran when it doesn’t need their help.”
