Donald Trump Saying He Wants 'China to Do Great' Raises Eyebrows

Comments from former President Donald Trump claiming he wants "China to do great" have been called out in a wave of reactions from users online on Sunday.

During an interview on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo, which was taped last week, the former president claimed that he would not start another trade war with China if reelected in November, as many accused him of doing so in his first term. He also insisted that he wanted the East Asian nation to do well, despite his frequent anti-China rhetoric elsewhere.

"It's not a trade war. I did great with China with everything," Trump said. "I want China to do great, I do. And I like President Xi [Jinping] a lot. He was a very good friend of mine during my term."

He did, however, say that he would again impose tariffs on Chinese-made goods, in excess of 60 percent.

"We have to do it," the former president said.

These remarks from Trump, the odds-on favorite for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, sparked a wave of reactions online, with numerous users highlighting the seeming hypocrisy in light of the former president's history or anti-China rhetoric, and his accusations that President Joe Biden is too compliant with the rival superpower.

"America last," the official Republicans Against Trump account wrote on X, formerly Twitter, inverting the former president's frequently repeated "American First" motto.

"Even Maria Bartiromo is shocked by Trump's praise for President Xi," the account for American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal super PAC, wrote in an X post.

The same account later remarked on other comments Trump made in the interview, in which he said he expects China to interfere in the 2024 presidential election: "After heaping praise on Xi and China, Trump says he thinks they'll interfere with the presidential election. Seriously, whose side is this guy on?"

Newsweek reached out to Trump's office via email for comment.

"Trump personally made millions from the Chinese government while 'President' and has since coincidentally hinted that he would not order a U.S. military intervention against China were it to attack Taiwan," the popular Democrat X user JoJoFromJerz wrote, referencing recent reports that Trump's businesses received millions in payments from various nations, including China, while he was president.

"But ok," she said.

"The ads write themselves," lawyer Bradley P. Moss wrote, suggesting that Trump opponents can use the remarks against him in campaign ads.

These latest comments about China come shortly after others made in a previous interview with Bartiromo, in which he declined to say explicitly whether the U.S. would support Taiwan in the event of an invasion from China if he were reelected to the presidency. Trump instead highlighted frustrations with Taiwan's semiconductor business, which he claimed took business away from the U.S. Those remarks drew criticism and concern.

Republicans routinely attack Biden and Democrats for being "weak" on China. The East Asian nation is widely viewed as the leading global competitor to the U.S., and concerns about a possible war with Beijing are openly discussed by lawmakers and military analysts.