With a nuclear backdrop, Trump eases tensions with Xi but merely returns to the status quo

Donald Trump, who prides himself on being a peacemaker, is going nuclear.

For more than 30 years, the Americans and the Russians – and before that, the Soviets – negotiated over limiting nukes. The theory was simple: Both countries had the power to destroy the world several times over, so why spend untold billions on an endless arms race?

Trump made the announcement just before meeting with the president of China, which is the third-ranking nuclear power, but is quickly catching up.

"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," the president wrote. Although "we have more nuclear weapons than anybody," he added about testing, "I think it’s appropriate that we do also."

TRUMP BREAKS 33-YEAR NUCLEAR TESTING SILENCE AS WORLD BRACES FOR DANGEROUS NEW ARMS RACE

This comes as Vladimir Putin is doing some military muscle-flexing, saying he’s developing a "Poseidon" nuclear-powered torpedo that could bury a country such as the United Kingdom under a tsunami of radioactive water, rendering it uninhabitable. 

I’ll leave it to the experts to debate whether it makes sense for Trump to plunge into a costly weapons buildup in a rapidly changing nuclear landscape. 

But politically it may be a tough sell at a time the White House says it can’t find the money to keep the SNAP program from shutting down on Saturday, because of the government shutdown that has now reached the one-month mark.

The contrast led to a bitter exchange with Chuck Schumer, who said Trump was "gallivanting in Asia, dancing in Malaysia" rather than meeting with Democrats to end the shutdown. The president, saying he’s worked really hard, called Schumer’s remarks "almost treasonous!!!"

The Kremlin is reportedly developing a nuclear-powered torpedo capable of burying a small country in radioactive water. (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/Reuters )

It’s true that Trump hasn’t really engaged on the shutdown, hoping the other party will be pressured by the rising level of pain.

Now that the dust has settled, it seems that Trump didn’t walk away with much from his 90-minute session with Xi Jinping, other than papering over their differences.

Both sides agreed to postpone higher tariffs for a year, which eases tensions but is really just a return to the status quo. It’s a classic Trumpian tactic of making threats and softening his stance later. Maybe he’ll even agree to talk to Canada again after his pique about that Reagan ad on tariffs.

There wasn’t a word on TikTok, which was thought to be one of the easier problems to solve. Trump has lined up some wealthy allies to buy the hugely popular app, but he needs Xi’s approval – and didn’t get it.

TRUMP SCORES FOUR BIG WINS WITH XI, BUT HAS ONE BIG MISS

During their talk in South Korea, Xi also agreed to postpone restrictions on rare earth minerals that are crucial for making today’s ultra-fast computer chips.

Beijing also agreed to resume its purchases of American soybeans to previous levels over the next three years. That’s good news for our farmers, but again, basically a return to previous levels. Treasury Secretary Howard Bessent says the level could go even higher, but that’s just an optimistic guess.

Xi, by contrast, cares about one issue above all – and Trump says it didn’t come up (unless it is being kept secret).

It’s Taiwan.

President Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping talked in South Korea, though it doesn't appear the former walked away from the meeting with much. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Several reports say Xi had hoped Trump would slightly soften his language on what China views as a breakaway province. The U.S. has always pledged to defend the island if it’s attacked. Xi didn’t expect it, but a Trump statement that the U.S. doesn’t support Taiwan independence – which other presidents, including Bill Clinton, have said – would help the Chinese dictator gauge the climate if he does decide to move against the country (as we see it) 100 miles off its coast.  

Trump has claimed that China doesn’t want to invade Taiwan, and didn’t say much to reporters beyond "Taiwan is Taiwan."

All this amounts to a welcome reset of U.S. relations with China, easing months of harsh rhetoric. But Trump, who now plans to visit China, essentially brought things back to square one.

Trump has maintained that "Taiwan is Taiwan." (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo/Reuters)

Footnote: I’ve been saying for months that Trump was not going to seek a third term, that he was basically trolling the press by toying with the idea.

Turns out I was right.

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"I guess I’m not allowed to run," which is "too bad," he told reporters on Air Force One. He’s right. It’s flatly prohibited by the Constitution.

So for all the media speculation, some of it stoked by Steve Bannon, some of it sparked by his grand ballroom plan – why build it if he wouldn’t be using it? – Trump was never serious about it.

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No president wants to be viewed as a premature lame duck. By leaving the door ajar, Trump projected the idea that the press, the politicians and the public might have to deal with him after 2028. But now it’s been slammed shut.