In partnership with
`
Happy Friday, Wake Up Right fam! President Trump is wrapping up his trip to China as I write this. It was a productive endeavor that will likely yield big wins for American workers, manufacturing, and trade.
But beneath the handshakes and staged smiles were sly wording and thuggery that should be a reminder for every American: China is not our ally. It is our greatest geopolitical rival — a patient superpower waiting for the right moment to strike.
President Trump used to read a poem on the 2024 campaign trail called The Snake about a tender hearted woman who takes in a freezing snake. Despite her kindness, the snake bites her. Here'a part of it:
She stroked his pretty skin again and kissed and held him tight
Instead of saying thanks, that snake gave her a vicious bite
“Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin
“You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in”
China is negotiating with Trump because it needs him. It needs access to high powered Nvidia chips. It needs to resolve the conflict in Iran. But we cannot confuse diplomacy with friendship. A snake is always a snake.
❎ U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks retired
📉 Overdose deaths were down 14% in 2025 to 70K
✝ 17% want Christianity to be the official U.S. religion
📉 Trump approval avg: 40.2% approve, 56.5% disapprove
Xi offers Trump honey and vinegar
President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for his first visit to China in over nine years and came away with big wins for the United States domestically and geopolitically – plenty of honey – but also a healthy dose of vinegar, with Xi's pointed words on Taiwan and a few rough edges from Chinese security making clear Beijing can only be half-trusted.
The details: Trump and Xi met for two hours and 15 minutes on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People, with a follow-up on Friday at the Zhongnanhai compound.
Trump brought nearly 20 top CEOs, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Boeing's Kelly Ortberg, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Larry Fink, and Visa's Ryan McInerney.
The honey – what each side put on the table
🇨🇳 China offered:
✈️ 200 Boeing 737 jets: Boeing's first major China order in nearly a decade, though short of the 500-plane deal analysts had floated.
🌾 Soybeans and farm goods: Beijing committed to large-scale purchases – a direct win for Midwest farmers ahead of November.
🛢️ U.S. oil and LNG: China will start importing American crude and liquefied natural gas from Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska.
💊 Fentanyl crackdown: Xi pledged tighter controls on precursor chemicals fueling America's overdose crisis.
🇮🇷 On Iran: Xi told Trump China would not supply military equipment to Tehran, backed keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, and agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
🇺🇸 The U.S. offered:
📈 Tariff truce extended: Trump locked in the one-year tariff pause from October's meeting in Busan – and no new hikes.
🏛️ A new "Board of Trade" and "Board of Investment": Joint oversight bodies to monitor implementation — Trump's hedge against the broken promises of his 2020 Phase One deal.
💻 Nvidia H200 AI chips: Roughly 10 Chinese firms will be allowed to buy Nvidia's second-most-powerful AI processor.
The vinegar – where Beijing shows its thuggery
🇹🇼 The Taiwan threat: Xi called Taiwan "the most important issue in China-U.S. relations" and said mishandling it would push both nations into "clashes and even conflicts."
The U.S. readout of their talks didn't mention Taiwan at all. It’s pretty standard U.S. policy to maintain its support for Taiwan independence but not make it a focal point of our talks with China.
🏛️ The Thucydides Trap framing: In his opening remarks, Xi asked whether the U.S. and China could "transcend the so-called 'Thucydides Trap' and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations."
What is the Thucydides Trap? It describes how rising Athens threatened dominant Sparta, creating fear and rivalry that made war feel inevitable despite both sides’ leaders’ choices and miscalculations.
Subtext: Xi is saying that China is Sparta and the U.S. is the declining Athens.
Trump responded to this on Truth Social, writing that Xi was “referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden” and “not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed” under Trump’s second term.
🔫 Chinese thuggery: When Chinese security tried to block an armed Secret Service agent from entering the Temple of Heaven with the press pool, U.S. officials refused to back down. The standoff dragged on for roughly 30 minutes. Fox News's Peter Doocy described it on air as "heated and physical" before Chinese officials yielded enough to let the protective detail continue.
Real talk from G: Trump came home with concrete concessions from China. But Xi made clear, in word and deed, that this is a managed competition, not a friendship. The wins are worth banking. The warning signs are worth watching.
The Only Christian Precious Metals Firm in America.
Most gold dealers are in the business of moving inventory. We're in the business of protecting legacies and our faith shapes everything about how we do it.
True Gold Republic is the only Christian-based precious metals firm in the country. That means no fear tactics, no pressure, and a team that holds itself to a higher standard long after the sale. Our founder left London's metals industry specifically to restore dignity to a space that had lost it.
Zero setup fees. Zero-fee buyback. A written best-price guarantee. Your own dedicated account rep.
Claim your free 2026 Precious Metals Kit. No cost, no obligation and discover the tax-advantaged move most advisors never mention.
💔 The remains of the second US Army soldier, Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, who went missing during military exercises in Morocco, has been recovered. Read more.
🗃 A CIA whistleblower accused the agency of snatching JFK assassination and MKUltra files slated for declassification by DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Read more.
✅ Senators unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers. Read more.
🇵🇦 For the first time in roughly 25 years, the US has restarted jungle warfare training in Panama, signaling a broader return of American military activity in Latin America. Read more.
💻 Netflix has been sued by the Texas attorney general for allegedly collecting consumer data from children without their consent and selling it to the highest bidder. Read more.
🎤 Female rapper Nicki Minaj says she was a Trump supporter for a long time, but "didn't dare act like that publicly" because the music industry is dominated by Democrat politics. Read more.
⚽ Shakira, Madonna, and K-pop superstars BTS will headline the first-ever World Cup final halftime show. Read more.
🇮🇱 Israel will sue the NY Times over a recent article that accused Israeli soldiers and their dogs of raping Palestinian prisoners. Read more.
🏋♂️ A New Hampshire woman says Planet Fitness canceled her membership after she complained about seeing a man in the women’s locker room. Read more.
🚛 The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that freight brokers can be held liable if they hire unsafe trucking companies – including those who use illegal aliens. It's a major win for highway safety. Read more.
⚾ Ex-New York Mets flamethrower Noah Syndergaard called Mayor Zohran Mamdani a “lunatic” and advised his former squad to “stop hanging out with socialist mayors” to end its on-field struggles. Read more.
🎥 Transgender killer reveals how he executed his parents in chilling interrogation video. Watch.
🎥 TMZ tried to do a hit piece on Spencer Pratt, but he flips the script on them. Watch.
🎥 This woman called for people to shoot MAGA supporters. Now she’s in jail. Watch.
🎥 Woke DA is GRILLED by Rep. Brandon Gill for the light sentence he gave an illegal alien child rapist. Watch.
🎥 Marco Rubio reveals what makes Trump one-of-a-kind. Watch.
🎥 2024 loser Kamala Harris calls for abolishing the Electoral College and packing the Supreme Court. Watch.
🎥 VP Vance gives reporter PERFECT answer when reporter tries to create drama with Marco Rubio. Watch.
🎥 Check out the robot convenience store in China. Watch.
🎥 The hags on The View find the DUMBEST possible attack on Spencer Pratt. Watch.
🎥 U.S. Naval Academy students scale a greased obelisk in an annual tradition. Watch.
