President Donald Trump had two major things he needed to accomplish at the G-20 meeting to keep campaign promises. He accomplished neither of them.
An Axios report walked through two of the major promises the president made this year but have proved to be too much of a slog for him to actually accomplish.
"Trump telegraphed ambivalence about the two issues that have defined his time in politics: China and the wall," Axios said Sunday.
Indeed, Trump has talked tough on China and trade, but when it came down to the final moments, the president caved on many of his issues.
During the 2016 campaign, the president said he would force China to end the years of abuse on American companies. "But China hasn't changed in any meaningful way," Axios said.
The president eased up on the so-called trade war for at least the next 90 days, promising he'd keep the tariffs at 10 percent. In exchange, China said it would crack down on opioids.
Trump's "wall" has been a significant part of his presidency, but it certainly hasn't been built. Indeed, nothing the president promised has been developed. Thanks to budgets signed by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, however, the border fence is being repaired in places, and Trump has been able to take the credit.
Now, the president is saying that he'll agree to sign a temporary government budget so there's no government shutdown during President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
One concerned "hawk" told Axios that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation has also caused trouble for the Trump legislative agenda.
"The whole effort with China has been brought to a grinding halt," the source said. "Elections have consequences. The defeat in November leads to compromises in December on the wall and trade — and we haven't yet begun '19."
