US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping after watching a military demonstration from a balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
The New York Times editorial board issued a stark warning that President Donald Trump's "flailing presidency is leaving Americans with the thinnest of hopes" for negotiations with China. The Times editors hope he makes it through the summit without making anything worse.
In a column Thursday, the board explained that for more than 100 years the United States has taken a "leading role in the world." But that could be coming to an end, along with losing "expanded prosperity, security and democracy."
"Mr. Trump shows little care for these benefits," the board said. "He uses international relations to seek personal enrichment, praise from sycophants and equal standing with authoritarians. His flailing presidency leaves Americans with the thinnest of hopes for this week’s summit: that he does not further damage the national interest."
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, where he was greeted with a red carpet, military flyover and, on Wednesday, will have a state dinner.
Still, the Times said that the "low expectations for the visit" underscore "the damage that Mr. Trump is doing to American influence and global well-being. He is an undisciplined politician who puts his personal interests above the nation’s, running an administration that has no coherent strategy for solving major problems. He is instead often exacerbating the world’s biggest problems."
There are three leading crises facing the world, and no single nation can fix them alone, the board said. But, there is a low bar, the Times confessed. They hope that the world won't let Trump get away with "the benefit of low expectations." Then the board confessed it's low expectations.
Currently, the world faces potentially catastrophic risks from artificial intelligence, the escalating effects of climate change, and the economic damage from disrupted shipping through the Middle East. The board wants to see cooperation between the U.S. and China over the issues, but Trump doesn't believe in climate change, doesn't intend to regulate AI and he's the one who destabilized the Middle East with the Iran war.
The column laments an unfortunate reality of the two leaders. They explain that Trump’s erratic, self-interested approach to foreign policy has weakened U.S. influence and made serious diplomacy harder. Meanwhile, Xi has been a difficult negotiating partner for Trump, with authoritarian tendencies.
The board hopes that China will still cooperate with the U.S. While Trump said that Xi supports an unregulated AI world, they, too, have fears about AI run amok; they, too, need a stable oil supply, and they've made great strides in clean energy.
The column concludes that Trump’s focus on personal enrichment, flattery,and status leaves the United States unable to lead on global threats. So, the board said, the best hope for the summit is simply that Trump does not cause further damage.