US President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was "100 per cent correct" in his assessment that the US was a nation in decline, but the remarks referred to the years of his predecessor Joe Biden.
"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 per cent correct," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He said the US "suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender for everybody, men in women's sports, Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI), horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more!"
Trump asserted that the US has seen "an incredible rise" during the first 16 months of his administration and pointed to record stock markets and 401(k)s, military victories, renewed economic strength and what he described as a booming job market.
Trump also touted a military victory and thriving relationship in Venezuela, as well as the "military decimation" of Iran.
"President Xi was not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration," he said.
"Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi!” Trump said, adding that, "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!" Trump also cited trillions of dollars in foreign investment flowing into the US, praised the administration's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and claimed that President Xi congratulated him on what he called the administration's "tremendous successes" in a short period of time.
Published on May 15, 2026