Trump Leaves China and Really Changes His Tone

Hours after leaving Beijing, President Trump on Friday delivered what appeared to be a sharp rebuke to China, declaring that he won't allow the US to be "taken advantage of any more" when it comes to trade. He pledged to always "put America first." Speaking at a gathering of CEOs at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, Trump said: "From this day forward we will compete on a fair and equal basis." "We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore," he said. It was a striking change of tone from the day before, when Trump set aside his previous blistering rhetoric in favor of friendly overtures to China, the AP reports.

Trump also continued his tough talk against North Korea's nuclear ambitions. He told the audience at the Danang summit that the region's future "must not be held hostage to a dictator's twisted fantasies of violent conquest and nuclear blackmail." Trump also said Friday the whole world was being lifted by America's economic renewal, and that a "new optimism" has swept across the US since his election. He said he'd had the pleasure of sharing the "good news from America" everywhere he's been on his first official visit to Asia. "The whole world is lifted by America's renewal," he said.

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