Caught Telling a Whopper

Who do you believe? Donald Trump, or a Chinese government official.

Until Trump blew into Washington, it was inconceivable that an American would accept as true a statement from an official of China’s Communist government over that of a US president.

Trump, though, is a compulsive liar. The Washington Post counted more than 30K falsehoods and misleading statements that he made during his first term in office.

Desperate to walk away from his disastrous tariff policies, Trump dished out a whopper. He told Americans that the US and China are in direct contact every day, and that a deal to substantially reduce the insane 145 percent tax on Chinese goods will be done “pretty quickly.”

That was news to the Chinese, or as a spokesman called it “fake news.” Touché!

There have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the US regarding tariffs, let alone reaching an agreement, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.

He Yadong, Commerce ministry spokesperson, called Trump’s bluff, saying that if the US wants trade talks it must first ax the tariffs. China would then enter a dialog with the US to resolve their differences.

Yarding used a Chinese proverb to sum up the stalement with the US: “He who tied the bell [on the tiger] should be the one to untie it.” Ding dong, Donald.

One has to wonder why Trump made such a blatant lie, one that could very easily be outed.

It takes two sides to negotiate. China isn’t going to budge until Trump caves.

The world’s No. 2 economy, which buys tons of American farm products, Boeing jets and has rich deposits of rare earth minerals, has no intention to be Trump’s chump.

US reputation hits the skids. An Ipsos survey of 29 countries found that the belief that America is a force for good is cratering. Twenty-six of the countries say the US does not have a positive influence on global affairs.

Canada, which is a prime target of Trump, has gone super negative on the US. Six months ago, more than half (52 percent) considered its southern neighbor a positive influencer of world events. Only 19 percent of Canadians think that way today.

China is among the biggest gainers on the positive influencer list. Its positive influencer rating jumped 10 points to 49 percent since October.

The numbers for the US during that same period plunged from 59 percent to 46 percent.

Chris Jackson, senior VP of Ipsos in the US, noted America’s reputation took a whacking particularly among traditional allies.

"That flies in the face of Trump’s repeated campaign promise to restore respect for America around the world,” he said.

Jackson, though, doubts the poll results will resonate among Trump’s followers. “Given the inward focus of many Americans, it's unlikely the MAGA base will notice our diminished standing on the world stage,” he said.

That’s a sad and potentially dangerous situation.

Priceless PR… The Financial Times published a mash note to Ballard Partners and its CEO Brian Ballard.

He’s a top fundraiser for Trump and his firm was the home of Pam Bondi (attorney general) and Susie Wiles (presidential chief of staff). In other words, Ballard Partners has connections.

The Florida firm is on track to double its 2024 revenues this year and is in full expansion mode.

Ballard Partners has jumped “into the top tier of influence shops in Trump’s Washington, alongside bigger firms such as Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld,” reported the FT.

“I hope we’re never going to be showy or braggadocio, but humbly, do our work and serve our clients’ interests,” said Ballard.

Ballard Partners opened its DC office with 21 clients after Trump was elected president in 2016. It now has more than 200 Washington accounts.

All the recent activity has been a like a whirlwind to Ballard.

“It seems like President Trump’s been president for years, but he’s only returned to the White House, less than 100 days [ago],” he said. Ballard sure got that right.