President Donald Trump will hand China a victory when he hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week, a Trump biographer predicted.
In a Tuesday episode of "Inside Trump's Head," Michael Wolff said Trump needs a win so badly that he will try to flatter his way to one. The strategy will leave Xi with the upper hand because Trump "doesn't listen to anyone," Wolff warned.
"He needs good news," Wolff said. "And his way of getting good news is not to negotiate a good deal. His way of getting good news is to agree. I mean, so he goes into flattery mode."
He added, "I'm sure Xi will flatter Donald Trump, and in return, Donald Trump will flatter him. And that will result in the Chinese getting what the Chinese want."
Trump is set to greet Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan in person at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before hosting Xi for only the second state dinner of his second term on Thursday, according to The Daily Beast.
Co-host Joanna Coles asked Wolff what would come of the visit, and Wolff answered, "I think nothing good for the United States of America."
He said tariffs were "an important thing" for Beijing, but that the bigger prize would be the Chinese "coming away with expressions of Trump's goodwill," which they would take as an acknowledgement "that they have triumphed in this."
Wolff singled out Taiwan as the issue to watch.
"No mention of Taiwan, or a mention in which Taiwan becomes even more equivocal," Wolff said. "That would be the ultimate victory for Xi coming out of this meeting."
Wolff warned that in a "precarious" world, "any one piece can lead to a miscalculation which can lead to grievous results."
"Everybody is dependent on Donald Trump here, on Donald Trump understanding the stakes, the nuances, the subtleties, the risks," he said. "This is where the rubber hits the road. It's Donald Trump. And we have to depend upon him understanding what can go wrong."
