At some point in time between when the US Department of Commerce issued a press release giving the latest US trade deficit figures on September 3 (which had narrowed less than expected), and the announcement of new US-China trade talks on September 5, President Trump issued another tweet on trade issues to let the world know he was going to remain tough. The full set of tweets is worth considering as a whole:
‘The Chinese are very adept at not accepting anything. You’ve got to be very tough, and that’s what Trump (sic: he referred to himself, Julius Caesar-like, in the third person) is doing. It’s in China’s interest to correct, and I think we’ll end up with a solution that’s dramatically better than we have today. Frankly, I think the impact of what ….
“…Trump is doing to China is not lost on the rest of the world. Europe has had among the most protectionist policies forever. They’re sitting there saying, gee, are we next? Maybe you are! We’ve got to change the rules. The US can’t defend the world and pay for it…”
Of course, this set of tweets was preceded by others, promising to talk tough with China. However, this one also contained a threat to Europe. Perhaps that was why the tweets were deleted, presumably by someone on his staff with more caution than Mr. Trump. However, the President re-posted them verbatim. What are we to make of this?