Trump Blames Biden For Xi’s “Declining Nation” Comment, As China Warns “Conflict” Over Taiwan

US President Donald Trump on Friday (May 15, 2026) blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “declining nation” remark targeting America and its allies.

He argued that Xi’s reference was to the “damage” done by the Biden administration and defended his administration, claiming the US had re-emerged as the number one economic and military power after his return to the White House.

Trump’s reaction came during his two-day visit to China, where he will be discussing wide-ranging issues with his Chinese counterpart.

In a Truth Social post, the US President endorsed Xi’s remarks, calling them “100 per cent correct” regarding the Biden administration. Trump blamed the Biden presidency for weakening US borders, increasing taxes, and shifting policies on social and economic issues.

“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” he said in the post.

“Our Country suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, DEI, horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!” he added.

He insisted that Xi was not referring to the “incredible rise” of the US since he took over the presidency 16 months ago, listing “all-time high stock markets and 401K’s, military victory and thriving relationship in Venezuela, the military decimation of Iran (to be continued!)” as his successes.

“Strongest military on earth by far, economic powerhouse again, with a record 18 trillion dollars being invested into the United States by others, best US job market in history, with more people working in the United States right now than ever before, ending country destroying DEI, and so many other things that it would be impossible to readily list,” he boasted about his presidency.

Trump went on to claim that Xi congratulated him on the success of his administration in achieving its goals in “such a short period of time.”
The United States had moved from a position of decline to renewed global prominence, and he hoped for a stronger and better relationship with China,” he concluded.

“Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi! But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before,” he wrote in the post.

Xi has repeatedly said: “The East is rising, and the West is declining.” The reference to “the West” in Xi’s remarks is seen as a reference to the US.

On Thursday (May 14), Xi adopted a warm and conciliatory tone during a state banquet honouring Trump. Xi went on to propose that his “great rejuvenation” and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda could advance together as the two powers work towards a more stable bilateral relationship.

Yet, the Chinese President warned Trump that the US support for Taiwan could lead to “clashes and even conflicts.” This warning came during Xi’s bilateral meeting with Trump in Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry published the remarks after the two-hour meeting.

Xi reportedly told Trump that Taiwan was “the most important issue in China-US relations.” Xi has previously mentioned that Taiwan’s “unification” with China was “a core priority” for his legacy and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve that objective.

China has put Taiwan at the top of its agenda, which risks overshadowing the Iran war and trade disagreements with the US. It wants the US to reduce its support to the self-governing island, which Beijing claims to be its territory.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though, cautioned that any Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan by force would be a “terrible mistake,” asserting that Washington’s policy toward the island nation remained unchanged.

Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Trump was likely to address the Taiwan issue during his China visit.

“It wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up,” Bessent said, adding that Trump “understands the issues here and understands the sensitivities around all this.”

He defended the diplomatic approach on Taiwan, saying those criticising the President “do not understand the negotiating style of Donald Trump.”

Trump said Xi pledged not to send weapons to Iran, despite recent reports of Chinese arms firms discussing deals with Tehran. “He (Xi) said he’s not going to give military equipment; that’s a big statement,” the US President said, adding Xi said so “strongly.”

“But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, and they’d like to keep doing that. He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait opened,” Trump added.