Why the Trump-Musk bust-up will have deepened China’s doubts about US president

Earlier this month, a dramatic feud erupted between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk over a tax and spending bill, which culminated in the two hurling threats at each other.

Musk, who was Trump’s biggest political donor and his self-proclaimed “first buddy”, said the American leader “would have lost the elections” without him, and alleged without evidence that Trump was named in the sealed files of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump retaliated, saying he was “very disappointed” by Musk’s comments and threatening to terminate the Tesla chief executive’s government subsidies and contracts. “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will any more,” he said.

While the feud has since cooled and Musk has said that some of his posts “went too far”, the episode may have solidified the feeling in China that Trump is an erratic politician who goes back on his word.

What this means, according to diplomatic observers, is that China could remain guarded and cautious when entering negotiations with a “mercurial Trump”. It could also add a layer of complications as Beijing considers a summit between its leader and Trump.

Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, said the fallout was not entirely unexpected but Trump’s behaviour was in line with how the Chinese public and government saw his character.

“Many people believe that Trump is a transactional president who is accustomed to using tactics such as probing and pressure to determine the other party’s bottom line and maximise his own interests,” he said.

South China Morning Post