Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) recently commended President Donald Trump for being the first modern president to openly label China as an enemy. This statement came during a significant event in Washington, D.C., addressing the threats posed by China.
Banks expressed admiration for Trump, asserting that he is the first president to genuinely acknowledge the threat from China.
“To start off, President Trump has been the first leader in our lifetime to really take the China challenge seriously. I recall during the 2016 campaign, but let’s look back a bit. The Cruz-Trump primary was decided right here in Indiana,” he pointed out, highlighting Indiana’s status as a leading manufacturing state.
“My dad was a retired factory worker and when Trump came to Indiana to rally voters, he warned about China being our biggest enemy, the top threat to our jobs and the American economy…,” Banks said, mentioning that his father had never heard a politician speak like that before, other than Ross Perot.
“When I was younger, my dad had a Ross Perot sticker on his truck, but I never really connected with other candidates until Trump came along,” he remarked.
Banks continued to explain that Trump maintained this perspective throughout his presidency, marking the first time a president referred to China as “an enemy and a threat” instead of a partner.
“He changed the national security strategy and shifted military priorities to focus on China, correcting many past errors by previous leaders from both parties that had inadvertently bolstered China’s influence over the U.S.,” the senator noted.
“So, Trump — he was the first president from either party to take this issue seriously… Before all the distractions of Russian interference and impeachment, there was a lot happening in the military during his first term,” Banks explained, mentioning that economic concerns were the focus for Trump’s second term.
“The second term concentrates on the economy, the situation with tariffs, and restructuring global trade to prioritize American interests over China’s,” he stated, adding that this focus quickly caught China’s attention.
Check out the events below:
