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Lemonada Media Host
48 million people in the United States are adolescents between the ages of 14 and 24. They're working, parenting, leading, sometimes all at once.
Audrey Moorhead
I'm balancing work and being a mom at the same time, and I'm still on track to graduate with my bachelor's next year.
Lemonada Media Host
So what do today's young people need to truly thrive? Tune in to Good Things from Lemonada Media to hear the six part Thrive series Marketers.
Audrey Moorhead
You know that feeling when your creative clicks, when that social post sends engagement through the roof, when your outside of the box campaign hits ROI positive. When a personalized homepage turns prospects into customers. It's utter marketing bliss. Contentful helps you create tailored omnichannel experiences without working overtime. No stress, no limits, only possibilities. Get the feels@contentful.com when you manage procurement
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for multiple facilities, every order matters, but when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
Audrey Moorhead
From executive producer isaac saul, this is tangle.
Isaac Saul
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, and welcome to the Tangle Podcast, a place we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking, and a little bit of my take. I'm your host Isaac Saul, and on today's episode we're gonna be talking about President Trump's China Summit, the meeting with China's President Xi. We're gonna break down exactly what happened, share some views from the left and the right, some international writers as well. And then my take before we jump in, I want to give you a quick heads up that on my last stop of the little whirlwind college speaking tour I had, I implored college students at St Olaf to choose decency. And in this kind of crazy, divided moment, I asked them to be one of the fair ones. Be curious, be open minded, be willing to say you're wrong. I did this in an effort to try and bring them into a future where maybe our politics aren't quite so divided, and I decided to share this talk with our audience. So I actually recorded a version of the talk for the podcast last week, and we published the talk in its full form in the newsletter on Friday. Both are members only edition, so I encourage you guys to go check it out. If you haven't yet. And with that, I'm going to pass it over to Audrey, who's doing the podcast today. John and Will are out this week in Alaska recording a YouTube video I'm very excited about. So I'm going to be joined by a little rotating cast of some Tangle co hosts this week on the pod and today's Audrey's Turn. So with that, I'm going to send it over to her for the breakdown of today's story and I'll be back for my take.
Audrey Moorhead
Thanks, Isaac. Let's get right into it with today's quick hits. Number one, President Trump warned that Iran would be hit much harder if the country's leaders do not offer a more favorable deal to end the war. Separately, on Saturday, a drone strike damaged a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates in what authorities are calling an unprovoked terrorist attack. Number two, the Supreme Court rejected a request by Democratic officials in Virginia to use a new congressional map to recently approved by voters but struck down by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Number three, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough rejected the inclusion of $1 billion for a new White House ballroom from a recent $72 billion Republican funding package largely focused on immigration enforcement. McDonough ruled the ballroom funding violated the Byrd rule for including non budgetary items during reconciliation. Number four, the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency after an ebola outbreak caused 350 reported cases and 91 deaths in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Six Americans have been exposed to the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Number five Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed to advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for his Senate seat. Instead, Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming and Trump endorsed U.S. representative Julia Letlow will face off on June 27. Cassidy's loss follows a Trump backed effort to oust him over public breaks from the president.
Isaac Saul
President Trump the guest of honor at a lavish state dinner at China's Great hall of the People in the heart of Beijing. The president toasted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and joined by family, staff and more than a dozen of the United States most prominent business leaders including ally Elon Musk and the heads of Apple and Nvidia.
Audrey Moorhead
It's a very special relationship and I
Isaac Saul
want to thank you again.
Audrey Moorhead
On Friday, President Donald Trump departed China after a two day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the leaders discussed trade deals, diplomatic relations, the Iran war and other issues. Trump and Xi each spoke favorably about the other and emphasized their interest in a mutually beneficial relationship between the countries, though no major deals were immediately announced. Trump's state trip to China was the first US presidential visit to the country since Trump's 2017 visit during his first term. The summit was held against the backdrop of rising U S China tensions during Trump's second term. In April 2025, Trump levied significant tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting China to impose export controls on rare earth materials. Trump and Xi later agreed to a trade truce. In October, the Trump administration also placed strict export controls on the sale of advanced artificial intelligence chips to China. Separately, the Trump administration has begun sanctioning Chinese actors for allegedly aiding Iran in its war with the United States. On April 24, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against a Chinese oil refinery for buying billions of dollars of Iranian oil. On May 8, the State Department sanctioned four China based entities for, quote, providing satellite imagery that enables Iran's military strikes against US Forces in the Middle east, end quote. President Trump was accompanied on the trip by senior administration officials as well as business executives, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Texas Tesla's Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook. According to US Trade Representative Jameson Greer, the executives had an opportunity to talk with President Xi regarding their businesses. Though Greer said AI chip exports were not discussed, Xi reportedly indicated that China would increasingly open up to US Businesses. No major deals were formally announced after the summit, but President Trump said fantastic trade deals had been reached. He claimed that China agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes and more American oil and agricultural products, but China has not confirmed its plans. Trump also said that he and Xi agreed that the war in Iran should end and the Strait of Hormuz should reopen to commercial traffic. However, China did not address Iran in its post summit comments and the country's Foreign Ministry released a statement during the summit that said the United States should not have started the war. US Policy on Taiwan was also a notable point of discussion after a closed door meeting with President Xi and President Trump. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said if the Taiwan question is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy, end quote. Trump told reporters that Xi asked him if the US Would intervene if China invaded Taiwan, to which Trump said he responded, there's only one person that knows that you, you know who it is.
Isaac Saul
Me.
Audrey Moorhead
President Trump praised the Chinese president at several points during the summit. He told President Xi, you're a great leader. Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it's true. It's an honor to be your friend, end quote. Before departing, Trump invited Xi to the White House in September, and Chinese officials confirmed the president will visit the United States in the fall. Next up, we'll share views from the left, right and foreign policy experts on the summit, and then I'll pass it off to Executive editor Isaac Saul for his take.
Isaac Saul
We'll be right back after this quick break.
Lemonada Media Host
48 million people in the United States are adolescents between the ages of 14 and 24. They're working, parenting, leading, sometimes all at once.
Audrey Moorhead
I'm balancing work and being a mom at the same time, and I'm still on track to graduate with my bachelor's next year.
Lemonada Media Host
So what do today's young people need to truly thrive? Tune in to Good Things from Lemonada Media to hear the six part Thrive series Marketers.
Audrey Moorhead
You know that feeling when your creative clicks, when that social post sends engagement through the roof. When when your outside of the box campaign hits ROI Positive. When a personalized homepage turns prospects into customers. It's utter marketing bliss. Contentful helps you create tailored omnichannel experiences without working overtime. No stress, no limits, only possibilities. Get the feels@contentful.com. First up, what the left is saying the left says Trump has weakened the US's standing with China. Others called Trump's position on Taiwan risky. In Slate, Fred Kaplan said Trump gave Xi Jinping exactly what he wanted. The best thing to say about the US China summit in Beijing on Thursday and Friday is that our allies worst fears didn't come true. Aside from that, President Donald Trump failed to fulfill his fondest hopes for the meeting, while while his host, President Xi Jinping accomplished his own bedrock goals, though not much more. Trump boasted to reporters after the summit that he and Xi had made fantastic deals, but the only example he cited, Xi's agreement to buy 200 jet planes from Boeing was less than impressive. Boeing stock plunged by 4% because shareholders had anticipated that China would buy 500 planes. Xi sees the United States as a declining empire Trump's praise of Xi in the social media post and many more times during the summit itself, lauding the Chinese dictator as a great leader and really a friend, only reaffirmed Xi's main goal in this to solidify China's standing as a pure power of the United States. Xi, who cares little about friendship, was interested only in preserving his power, reinforcing China's growing stature and ensuring that it can rise and flourish in a somewhat stable world. In that context of competitions, Trump flew home with little. Xi walked back to the palace reassured In Brookings, Ryan Haass wrote about Trump's dangerous Taiwan gamble. During the run up to US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, he remained ambiguous about his views on Taiwan. When asked in interviews, he regularly lamented that Taiwan stole America's semiconductor industry, while adding a note of reassurance that there would not be a war in the Taiwan Strait. Under his watch, he would recount that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared an understanding about avoiding conflict over Taiwan. The net effect of his comments was to suggest that his views on Taiwan independence were closer to Beijing's preferences, that Taiwan had a greater responsibility to avoid provoking conflict, and that America's security support for Taiwan was negotiable with China. Beijing will seize on Trump's recent comments to signal to Taiwan's 23 million people that Trump cares more about his relationship with Xi than he does about them. Trump is giving up credibility without extracting benefits from Beijing. This is not just a policy shift. It is a shift from deterrence to deal making in a domain where there is no deal to be made beyond offering unilateral concessions that undermine deterrence. If Trump acts on his musings about treating Taiwan arms sales as a source of leverage, it would crater the confidence of America's security commitments not just in Taiwan but among America's allies globally. Next up, what the right is saying the right is mixed on the summit, with some glad that the US did not concede to Chinese interests. Others think the summit is proof that American power is declining. The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote about the good news is no news summit. The main rule of presidential symmetry with an adversary is first do no harm. By that standard, President Trump's Beijing parley with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week was a success. It didn't achieve much, but it also didn't appear to give away anything notable to the wily dictator. Mr. Trump boasted about fantastic Chinese purchases to come of US soybeans and aircraft, but China didn't confirm the sales. Mr. Trump also said the two now agree on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, but there was no overt agreement from Mr. Xi. The good news is that the president doesn't seem to have granted Mr. Xi's wish that the US allow the sale of advanced computer chips to China. This is a Communist Party priority as it seeks to catch up with the US on AI. But Mr. Xi promised Barack Obama that China would stop its cyber raids on US Companies and agencies, and China kept on stealing American secrets and embedding malware in US Systems. This attempt at AI arms control won't amount to much unless the Trump team is as naive as Mr. Obama. In the American Conservative Jude Russo argued Trump's visit to China emphasizes American strategic weakness. Few would say that the first Trump administration was a total success, but at the level of theory, there was a certain coherence to it on the China side of things. Elbridge Colby articulated the line of thought in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The US, Colby wrote, should boost its partnerships in the Indo Pacific to prevent China from establishing hegemony in the region. Corollaries were a de emphasis on the Middle Eastern theater, which is not enormously important for American interests, and a real defense buildup, particularly a naval buildup. We have spent the past decade twiddling our thumbs and have little to show for it. So it's difficult not to look at President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing this week and feel kind of bummed out. Xi Jinping said that he doesn't want an Iranian tollbooth in the Hormuz, which is good, I guess. But it's embarrassing that the administration is treating China getting on board with our position as manna from heaven. When the gang gets home and sleeps off the jet lag, well, we're still going to be at war in a peripheral theater, one that looks like it hurts us more than it hurts China. By the way, whatever the big brains on Twitter are saying, a subpar navy and a largely compromised economy, it's hard not to feel that China is very serious and we are not. Finally, what foreign policy experts are saying Foreign policy experts observed how Trump's visit differed from previous state visits to China. Some argue that Trump's novel attitude toward China won't get the results he wants in foreign policy. James Palmer said the Trump Xi summit was remarkably banal. You could be forgiven, reading and watching the Chinese press this week for entirely missing US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing. As it turned out, the lack of dramatics on the Chinese side was appropriate. Trump's visit was a snooze fest. Xi stuck to political banalities, speaking about familiar red lines Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China's path and system and China's development right, referring to its ability to move up the global economic ladder without being pushed down by Washington. Yet previous US Presidential visits were met with far more fanfare in China's tightly controlled media, even when little of consequence emerged. Why was Beijing so muted this time around? One reason is unpredictability. Other US Presidents visiting China have stuck to an agreed on agenda and have been controlled and careful in their speech. No one expects this from Trump. Chinese leaders also sought validation through recognition from Washington, the United States was recognized as the global superpower and China gained status in the eyes of its own citizens by portraying itself as a pure and a gracious host. China no longer needs that validation from the United States. Its global primacy is more than sufficiently established not just as a manufacturing superpower, but also as a technological and scientific giant. In responsible Statecraft, Michael D. Swain wrote on China, Trump wants to be Mr. Nice Guy. Now it appears that the President does not look at China as a conventional security threat and certainly not an existential one. Yes, Beijing poses an economic problem, perhaps even an economic threat, but a very manageable one that can produce a great outcome for both countries. He believes this can be achieved by working with his great friend Xi Jinping in a kind of personalized G2 relationship. He apparently thinks that if he can make some great deals with Xi on Taiwan, on trade and technology, etc. The great power problem will be resolved and he can take another step toward his long coveted Nobel Peace Prize. The problem with Trump's novel treatment of the China US Relationship is rather obvious, however. Great power relations are not real estate deals. Enduring positive changes in those relations can only occur if leaders decisions reflect compromises involving deep seated structural and political interests across their respective societies and polities. Given Trump's general unpredictability and impulsiveness, and Xi's apparent unwillingness to rule on the basis of a genuine collective leadership structure, Trump's desired personalized G2 is unlikely to prove sustainable or even achievable. That's it for what the left, right and foreign policy experts are saying. Now let's head to Isaac for his take.
Isaac Saul
All right. That is it for the left, the right and some further foreign policy experts are saying. Which brings us to my take. Few topics leave me feeling as conflicted as the US China relationship. Those conflicts appear in broad strokes in every element of the relationship. China is a country run by an authoritarian leader who is serving indefinitely, destroying any political opposition, sometimes disappearing them, and using a vast state sponsored spy network to crush dissent. Yet there's nothing wrong with the Chinese people who are living under the thumb of that rule. China is an economic powerhouse whose relationship with us creates a great deal of prosperity and wealth, yet that relationship also creates a dependency that makes our economy vulnerable. China has an advanced modern military that could make us pay for any direct confrontation. Yet that threat has so far mutually deterred both Superpowers from. From an open conflict in places like the South China Sea. Every facet of our relationship to China is a double sided coin, a handshake between two sides holding weapons behind their backs. Take Taiwan, a topic that dominated the summit. Xi has made it clear that addressing Taiwan is his top priority with US policy. And his remarks once again left a lot of people worrying about an imminent Chinese takeover. During his administration, President Joe Biden made waves for saying unequivocally that we'd defend Taiwan with our military. I argued that we'd have little choice. Biden's faux pas, rather, was making the subtext explicit. Of course the US would want to defend Taiwan. It is too important as a supplier of US Semiconductors, in its position in the first island chain, and as a democracy in defiance of Xi's totalitarian regime. But there's a reason you don't say that kind of thing out loud. Open war with China would be catastrophic for both China and the us and promising it is chilling. Our conflict with Iran, which is orders of magnitude weaker in almost every imaginable way, is already dragging the US and global economy. Imagine the impacts of a conflict between the world's two economic superpowers, to say nothing of the potential death toll. And Taiwan is far from the only sticking point. China has a long standing policy of deploying hackers to come after American government and private entities. Xi once promised President Barack Obama the cyber incursions would stop, but they never did. If anything, the espionage is getting more audacious. We just found out the mayor of a Los Angeles suburb was actually a Chinese spy. Former Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democrat from California, was infamously embroiled in controversy for his ties to a woman who ended up being a Chinese spy. Yet what do we expect? Our hackers are constantly going after China. Our spies are all throughout the country. Our espionage efforts are robust. It's hard to blame a global power for returning the favor. What about our trade relationships? On the one hand, China supplies the US with cheap goods in abundance. From consumer electronics to kids toys to complex medical devices. Our supply chain depends on cheaply manufactured Chinese goods. Today, we take this arrangement for granted and frequently overlook its benefits. On the other hand, China's manufacturing behemoth has significantly contributed to the decline of our own industrial economy. We've become reliant on a global adversary to supply us with things our consumers want and need, creating an obvious vulnerability. And of course, there are the tariffs, another vital element of trade. When President Biden slapped tariffs on Chinese automakers to try to keep their electric vehicles out of the US I was deeply conflicted about the approach. Then President Trump significantly upped the ante, launching a full on trade war to try to limit China's economic influence and reinvigorate U.S. manufacturing. Imports from China have since fallen. In 2025 they totaled $308.4 billion, down nearly 30% from 2024. The spirit of both administrations approach is appealing. Let's protect our workers and our factories and our American made goods. Let's not welcome competition from a country that is overly subsidized and totally reliant on unethical labor practices to make those cheap goods. But what has the approach brought us? Are US made electric vehicles improving? Have our automakers caught up? What about the rest of the manufacturing sector? Are tariffs improving life for Americans? Are production costs staying controlled? Even if these outcomes are coming, they will take time and patience. But the signals for many of them are not particularly strong. With all those elements to consider, I'm left wondering what exactly is set to change after the latest Trump Xi summit? Trump claims we scored some groundbreaking trade deals and the relationship has never been better. But China is confirming exactly nothing much hyped soybean sales have been hyped before, as the Wall Street Journal editorial board noted under what the Right Is Saying. The board also celebrated the no News summit, which it framed as a good thing. And I suppose I can see the rationale. After all, Trump is not negotiating from a place of strength. The US economic sentiment is terrible, the war in Iran is deeply unpopular and Trump's tariffs have been on again, off again with exceptions carved out in nearly every industry. And most global leaders have learned by now that they can fix their Trump related issues with a phone call and some well timed flattery. With that backdrop, what could Trump have reasonably accomplished? In short, I don't think the President gave Xi everything he wanted, nor do I think we got much of anything. Trump, the China hawk seems to have evolved yet again and it's not at all clear to me what his policy position really is. On issues like Taiwan or tariffs, the administration will say that's the point. But it wasn't so long ago that a tough on China posture was the centerpiece of Trump's foreign policy. For now, the story seems to be that not much really happened at all. Despite much hype and despite the President's envoy asserting some wins, it's hard to ascertain the veracity of all right, that is it for my take. I'm going to send it over to managing editor Ari Weitzman, who has his staff dissent today and then I'll be back for your questions answered.
Ari Weitzman
This is Tango's managing editor, Ari Weitzman with a staff dissent. I disagree with the interpretation that Isaac and the punditry class in general gave of Trump's summit with Xi as unproductive. Yes, the complicated US China relationship has a lot of open questions that this summit didn't shed any light on. And yes, summits like these often come with expectations of some larger redefinition of the relationship. But given the dominance of the Iran war on the geopolitical scene at the moment, I think it's actually quite significant that that President Xi agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran can't develop a nuclear weapon. Given that China has been ambiguously encouraging, we could say the Iranians in the conflict and that they've been hurt less than the Americans by the Hormuz blockade. Xi could easily have chosen to play hardball with Trump. Instead, he's showing a desire to cooperate and avoid conflict between the two superpowers. Trump gets the blame for instigating the war that stands in the way of progress in all of these other areas, but he should also get some credit for getting Xi to publicly commit to a cooperative posture. That isn't a lot, but it is not nothing.
Isaac Saul
We'll be right back after this quick break.
Lemonada Media Host
48 million people in the United States are adolescents between the ages of 14 and 24. They're working, parenting, leading, sometimes all at once.
Audrey Moorhead
I'm balancing work and being a mom at the same time, and I'm still on track to graduate with my bachelor's next year.
Lemonada Media Host
So what do today's young people need to truly thrive to Tune in to good things from Lemonada Media to hear the six part Thrive series.
Isaac Saul
If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team team always gets the win. Call 1-800-granger. Visit grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. All right, thanks Ari. I'll resist the urge to get the final word here and move on to your questions answered. This one's from Julian in New York. New York, Julian said, I'm just curious, is there any movement to end gerrymandering nationwide with an interstate compact. There's that National Popular Vote thing that's supposed to be triggered when enough states adopt it to make it decisive in elections. Why not an agreement between states that when all of the states adopt, it commits each state to promptly enacting an independent redistricting commission, and if any state thereafter opted out, the others would be free to opt out as well, but its terms would be triggered again if the threshold adoption requirements were again met. Okay, this is an interesting idea. I've never really heard anything like this for context. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is a bill that any state can pass for itself that would pledge all of its electoral votes in a presidential election to the winner of the national popular vote rather than the winner of its statewide vote. If a total number of states whose electoral votes exceed 270 pass the same statewide bill, that would mean the winner of the popular vote would automatically win the Electoral College, effectively making that system obsolete. We've covered that initiative in past editions. You can find previous newsletter links in the episode Description. Your proposal is almost the exact opposite of that compact. Instead of asking states to join an agreement to trigger a de facto national change, you're proposing something close to a kill switch or mutually assured destruction. Essentially, a group of states all agree to pass laws that require only decadal census based redistricting managed by independent commissions. And if any state abdicates, then all states are free to maybe that would work, but there are a couple of reasons why it might not. First, any state that thinks its majority political party would gain an advantage if all states openly gerrymandered simply break the pact whenever they feel the field was tilted in their favor. Second, it would be very difficult to get enough states to agree to such a pact. Passing a federal law would be much more straightforward, and that initiative is having enough trouble as it is. Democrats have repeatedly introduced the Redistricting Reform act, most recently in 2025, which would ban mid decade redistricting and require every state to establish independent redistricting commissions. Currently, Senate Republicans have no incentive to pass such a bill, but the problem goes back much further. Representative Zoe Lofgren, the Democrat from California, introduced a version of the bill in eight consecutive Congresses, but it failed to advance out of committee because it lacked support from Democratic leaders. It's possible the political calculation changes after the midterms, but until then, gerrymandering reform is not likely to grow past a patchwork of specific state by state regulations. All right, that is it for your questions answered. I'm going to send it back to Audrey for the rest of the pod. Thank you and I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have a good one. Peace.
Audrey Moorhead
Thanks, Isaac. To wrap things up, we have our have a nice day story. When Ahmed, Nasir and Preston, ages 6 and 7, were hospitalized at the same time for the same life threatening heart condition, they each experienced the anxiety and uncertainty of not knowing what was ahead for them. But over the course of nearly a year in the hospital together, they became best friends, leaning on one another for support as they waited for heart transplants. Then, in a rare occurrence, all three received heart transplants within 10 days of one another. They're now recovering well and their friendships are as strong as ever. Dr. Joseph Spinner, who's on the Boys care team, said, quote, I think these children teach us how to be grateful for what we have. It's amazing that they can be so sick yet have such a positive attitude. KHOU11 has the story and you can find it in the show notes.
Isaac Saul
All right everybody, that's it for today's episode. As always, if you'd like to support our work, Please go to retangle.com where you can sign up for a newsletter membership, podcast membership or a bundled membership that gets you a discount on both. We'll be right back here tomorrow. For Isaac and the rest of the crew, this is John Law signing off. Have a great day, y'. All. Peace. Our Executive editor and founder is me, Isaac Saul, and our executive producer is J. John Wall. Today's episode was edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Our editorial staff is led by Managing editor Ari Weitzman with Senior editor Will K. Back and Associate editors Audrey Moorhead, Lindsey Knuth and Bailey Saul. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet75. To learn more about Tangle and to sign up for a membership, please visit our website@retangle.com.
Lemonada Media Host
48 million people in the United States are adolescents between the ages of 14 and 24. They're working, parenting, leading, sometimes all at once.
Audrey Moorhead
I'm balancing work and being a mom at the same time, and I'm still on track to graduate with my bachelor's next year.
Lemonada Media Host
So what do today's young people need to truly thrive? Tune in to Good Things from Lemonada Media to hear the six part Thrive series.
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Ari Weitzman
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Host: Isaac Saul
Co-host: Audrey Moorhead
Episode Date: May 18, 2026
This episode of Tangle, hosted by Isaac Saul with co-host Audrey Moorhead, dives deep into President Donald Trump’s recent two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Amidst the backdrop of escalating U.S.–China tensions and ongoing conflict with Iran, the podcast unpacks what happened at the summit, analyzes reactions from across the political spectrum and international experts, and features original commentary from the Tangle editorial team. The main focus: Was the summit substantive, symbolic, or somewhere in between?
(Segment: [05:18]–[09:13])
Trump attended a lavish state dinner at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, joined by his family, senior officials, and major U.S. business leaders like Elon Musk (Tesla), Tim Cook (Apple), and Jensen Huang (Nvidia).
This was the first U.S. presidential visit to China since Trump's prior trip in 2017.
The backdrop included:
Trump’s claims after the summit:
“There’s only one person that knows that. You know who it is.”
([08:32] Trump)
Trump praised Xi:
"You're a great leader. Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true. It's an honor to be your friend."
([08:33] Trump speaking to Xi)
Before leaving, Trump invited Xi to the White House in September; the visit is confirmed for the fall by Chinese officials.
(Segment: [09:49]–[18:59])
(e.g., Slate, Brookings; [09:49]–[12:53])
“Trump gave Xi Jinping exactly what he wanted. ... Trump boasted to reporters after the summit that he and Xi had made fantastic deals, but … Xi’s agreement to buy 200 jet planes from Boeing was less than impressive.”
“Trump cares more about his relationship with Xi than he does about [Taiwanese people]. ... [His] views on Taiwan independence were closer to Beijing’s preferences.”
(e.g., Wall Street Journal, The American Conservative; [12:54]–[15:36])
“The main rule of presidential symmetry with an adversary is first, do no harm. By that standard, President Trump’s Beijing parley … was a success.”
(Various outlets; [15:37]–[18:58])
“Trump’s visit was a snooze fest. ... China no longer needs [U.S.] validation; its global primacy is more than sufficiently established.”
“Great power relations are not real estate deals. … Trump's desired personalized G2 is unlikely to prove sustainable or even achievable.”
([18:59]–[25:21])
“There’s a reason you don’t say that kind of thing out loud. Open war with China would be catastrophic... Our conflict with Iran… is already dragging the U.S. and global economy. Imagine the impacts… between the world’s two economic superpowers.”
([25:22]–[26:43])
“Trump gets the blame for instigating the war… but he should also get some credit for getting Xi to publicly commit to a cooperative posture. That isn’t a lot, but it is not nothing.”
([27:19]–[30:55])
“Passing a federal law would be much more straightforward, and that initiative is having enough trouble as it is.”
Trump’s ambiguous reply on Taiwan ([08:32])
"There's only one person that knows that. You know who it is."
— Trump to Xi on potential U.S. intervention in Taiwan
On Xi’s status, from Trump ([08:33])
"You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true. It's an honor to be your friend."
— Trump to Xi
Isaac’s characterization of U.S.–China relations ([19:16])
“Every facet of our relationship to China is a double-sided coin, a handshake between two sides holding weapons behind their backs.”
On the summit’s lack of impact ([23:38])
“Trump claims we scored some groundbreaking trade deals and the relationship has never been better. But China is confirming exactly nothing … For now, the story seems to be that not much really happened at all.”
Staff dissent’s alternative take ([25:22])
“It’s actually quite significant that President Xi agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran can’t develop a nuclear weapon.”
The episode paints the Trump–Xi summit as an event heavy on symbolism but light on concrete outcomes—while both leaders talked up the spirit of friendship and possibility, the realities of trade, Taiwan, and security remain unresolved. The Tangle team’s analysis emphasizes the ongoing uncertainty of U.S.–China relations, the difficulties of personal diplomacy in geopolitics, and the perils of both ambiguity and brinksmanship in a global rivalry.