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David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles break down Donald Trump’s high-stakes China trip as the White House scrambles to escape the political fallout from Iran, plunging poll numbers, and growing global instability. Rothkopf explains why Chinese officials jokingly call Trump “Comrade Nation Builder” because, in their view, every chaotic move he makes strengthens Beijing’s hand while weakening America’s standing in the world. The conversation tears into Trump’s obsession with strongmen, fears that he could privately bargain away leverage on Taiwan in exchange for help with Iran, and the increasingly awkward roles being played by Marco Rubio and JD Vance inside an administration that looks more fractured by the week. From Xi Jinping preparing an imperial-style welcome to questions about whether Trump is setting Rubio up to absorb the blame for the Iran crisis, the episode pulls apart the spectacle, the strategy, and the dangerous consequences behind one of the most consequential foreign trips of Trump’s presidency.

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