China Seems Unstoppable. Trump Thinks Otherwise.

02/10/25 • 27 min

14 Listeners

Over the past week, President Trump avoided a trade war with Canada and Mexico. But he escalated a trade war with China.

His reasoning? China has become more powerful in domestic manufacturing than the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Britain combined.

Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times, explains why China’s dominance as a trading partner has become a threat to Trump’s agenda — and asks whether America will ever be able to catch up.

Guests: Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading:

For China, President Trump’s moves bring pain, but also potential gains.
China’s trade surplus has reached a record level: nearly $1 trillion.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Over the past week, President Trump avoided a trade war with Canada and Mexico. But he escalated a trade war with China.

His reasoning? China has become more powerful in domestic manufacturing than the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Britain combined.

Guests: Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading:

For China, President Trump’s moves bring pain, but also potential gains.
China’s trade surplus has reached a record level: nearly $1 trillion.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Previous Episode

The Sunday Read: ‘Some Raw Truths About Raw Milk’

Thousands of years ago, after domesticating cows and other ruminants, humans did something remarkable: They began to consume the milk from these animals.

But living closely with animals and drinking their milk also presents risks, chief among them the increased likelihood that infections will jump from animals to people. Some of humanity’s nastiest scourges, including smallpox and measles, probably originated in domesticated animals. In the 19th century, health authorities began pushing for milk to be treated by heating it; this simple practice of pasteurizing milk would come to be considered one of the great public-health triumphs of the modern era.

Today, however, a small but growing number of Americans prefer to drink their milk raw. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, now stands at the vanguard of this movement.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Next Episode

The Demise of U.S.A.I.D. — and American Soft Power

Warning: This episode contains strong language.
As President Trump demolishes the government’s biggest provider of foreign aid, the United States Agency for International Development, he is ending a 60-year bipartisan consensus about the best way to keep America safe from its enemies.

Michael Crowley, who covers U.S. foreign policy, and Stephanie Nolen, a global health reporter for The New York Times, discuss the rise and fall of U.S.A.I.D. — and American soft power.

Guests: Michael Crowley, a reporter covering the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The New York Times; and Stephanie Nolen, a global health reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

With his aid cutoff, President Trump has halted U.S.A.I.D.’s legacy of “acting with humanity.”
The agency’s workers are braced for the worst.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Safin Hamid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.