Donald Trump seems to be lining up China as an 2020 election foil….

• For China’s Xi Jinping, too, there is much greater political safety in not caving to Trump.
• “Whether or not we get a deal on trade, the U.S.-China relationship is heading towards greater confrontation,” says Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group.

What’s happening: As we reported Monday, health care appears to be a key bipartisan campaign issue. But for Trump, China could be as much or more important, exemplifying what he sees as his key attribute — strength against the foes he sees everywhere.

• In a piece yesterday, the NYT’s Trip Gabriel reported that Trump’s China stance is helping him to solidify support among blue-collar workers in Ohio.
• Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, one of the two dozen Democratic candidates for president, told Gabriel that when local people observe Trump’s China policy, they see that “at least he’s punching somebody in the face, and no one else is.”
• This dynamic — the deeply visceral support for a sharp-edged approach to China — is likely to change the complexion of the election.

“If anything, I expect Democratic presidential candidates to attack Trump from the hawkish side, as being too accommodating to China by seeking a deal,” said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

The big picture: Last August and September, we surveyed economists and other experts on the U.S.-China tension, most of whom said they expect the trade war to last at least a year and perhaps longer (see here and here)…..

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The bottom line: The brinkmanship is likely to continue as long as the two leaders worry more about saving face and projecting strength than a deal. Trump has already signaled that China will be a pillar of his campaign.

• On the Democratic side, front-runner Joe Biden has so far been the outlier by calling China a paper tiger, says Axios’ Alayna Treene. But he has backtracked and criticized Trump mostly for failing to fight the battle alongside traditional U.S. allies, and may have to retreat further given the politics.

More…

Note…

As with mostly everything Donald Trump touches?

It turns downward….

China HAS been abusing trade…

But China also imports TONS of cheap stuff to America…

Chinese money is ALL over America…

But?

Donald Trump IS a master of shifting blame off of himself to others….