Donald Trump entered high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping facing some of the weakest approval ratings of his second term, as the ongoing Iran conflict, fears of $5 gasoline and growing unease within parts of his political base cloud the White House's global agenda.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released in late April put Trump's approval rating at 34%, intensifying pressure on an administration already grappling with economic anxiety and mounting foreign-policy scrutiny. The numbers arrived as Trump prepared for a closely watched Beijing summit that was repeatedly delayed amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The China meeting, originally expected in late March before being pushed into mid-May because of the Iran war, has become far more than a routine diplomatic engagement. For Trump, the visit represents an attempt to stabilize both geopolitical tensions and his political standing at home after weeks of uncertainty surrounding military operations and energy prices.
The White House has insisted Trump remains firmly in control of the situation. Yet critics argue the administration has struggled to maintain a consistent message on Iran after the president alternated between declaring the conflict effectively contained and warning of possible further escalation.
Fuel prices have emerged as one of the administration's most immediate political vulnerabilities. Analysts have warned gasoline could climb toward $5 a gallon if instability in the Middle East continues to disrupt energy markets. Trump has publicly tried to reassure consumers, promising prices would "drop like a rock" once tensions ease.
That reassurance has done little to quiet concerns among some Republican voters increasingly uneasy about prolonged overseas entanglements and rising household costs. The Iran conflict has exposed tensions inside Trump's coalition between traditional national-security hawks and isolationist elements of the MAGA movement that long championed "America First" noninterventionism.
At the same time, Beijing appears to be approaching the summit from a position of relative confidence. Chinese officials and state-linked commentators have argued Trump's second-term policies - including aggressive tariff fights, immigration restrictions and reduced support for research institutions - have weakened long-term American competitiveness while opening strategic opportunities for China.
Critics of the administration say the United States now risks appearing reactive while China projects steadiness in trade, investment and global diplomacy. Trump's opponents also point to cuts in scientific funding and international development programs as signs Washington has become less focused on sustaining the structural advantages that once underpinned American global influence.
The White House rejects that characterization, arguing Trump's economic nationalism and trade confrontations are necessary to confront decades of unfair practices by Beijing. Administration officials have repeatedly framed tariffs and industrial policies as essential tools for protecting American manufacturing and national security.
