Former US president Donald Trump warned on Monday that China’s nuclear capabilities, though currently trailing the United States, could surpass American dominance “sooner than people think”, raising concerns about a shift in global power dynamics.
Trump shared the comments during a live conversation on X, formerly Twitter, conducted by billionaire Elon Musk, who last month endorsed the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and has pledged US$45 million per month towards the re-election bid.
The online event, which was delayed 40 minutes after Elon Musk cited a “DDOS attack” on X’s servers, lasted nearly two hours and touched on a range of topics, including immigration, drilling and crime.
But when commenting on the immediate risks the US could face, the Republican nominee said “nuclear warming” was among his biggest concerns.
“We have major nuclear [powers] and, you know, probably some others are getting there, and that’s very dangerous. That’s where you need a strong American president, because you just, you don’t want to have this proliferation,” Trump said.
“China has much less than us right now, but they’re going to catch us sooner than people think … They’ll end up catching up, maybe even passing [us].”
Trump also criticised the abilities of his Democratic challenger Kamala Harris, saying she “doesn’t have that ability” to lead. He said Harris, if elected, would not be able to deal with China’s president.
“Can you imagine that? You know Chairman Xi very well. Can you imagine her and him negotiating or even standing together? She’s terrible,” Trump mocked.
The conversation between Musk and the Republican nominee marked Trump’s return to social media. Musk earlier reinstated Trump’s account on X after it was suspended in 2021 following the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol in Washington that year as the US Congress convened to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 US presidential election.
The two, however, disagreed on the importance of electric cars. While Trump has emphasised that he wants to reauthorise permits for oil and gas drilling permits in the US, Musk said he has a “more moderate view” on the matter.
The billionaire said that while he does not want to “vilify the oil and gas industry and the people who have worked very hard in those industries … but over time, we want to move to a sustainable energy economy.”
“Eventually you do run out of … oil and gas. It’s not there forever, it’s not infinite. I think if you just keep increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere long enough, eventually it simply gets uncomfortable to breathe,” he argued.
Musk did not address Trump’s constant promises to impose taxes on imported Chinese electric cars.
As founder and CEO of Tesla, America’s leading electric-car manufacturer, Musk has significant interests in China. In 2019, Tesla opened its first factory outside the US, in Shanghai, boosting its share of China’s electric-vehicle market.
The company’s success has brought Musk closer to Chinese leadership. In April, he paid a surprise visit to Beijing and met Premier Li Qiang. Speaking afterwards to reporters, Li hailed Musk as a “successful model” of economic partnership with the US.
Yet in January, Musk warned Chinese carmakers would “demolish” global competition without trade barriers. And later he criticised the Biden administration’s tariffs on EVs. In May, the US unveiled additional tariffs of 100 per cent on cars exported from China.
The White House in a statement justified the decision by arguing that “China’s unfair trade practices are carefully targeted at strategic sectors”.
“Neither Tesla nor I asked for these tariffs,” said Musk at the time. “In fact, I was surprised when they were announced. Things that inhibit freedom of exchange or distort the market are not good.
“Tesla competes quite well in the market in China with no tariffs and no differential support. I’m in favour of no tariffs.”
Nevertheless, the car manufacturer has faced competitive challenges on the mainland. In June, consultancy Counterpoint Research estimated that BYD, a Chinese rival to Tesla, would surpass the American manufacturer in sales this year.
BYD’s battery sales in the second quarter of this year jumped by nearly 21 per cent, reaching 426,039 units sold, according to CNBC. In contrast, Tesla lost market share over the same period, falling by 4.8 per cent with 443,956 vehicles sold.
For his part, Trump has fiercely criticised electric cars. In March, the Republican wrote on his account on Truth Social, his social media company, that autoworkers would face a “bloodbath” if he did not win re-election and impose additional tariffs against China.
However, at the Republican National Convention last month during which he formally accepted his party’s nomination, Trump moderated his stance on the issue.
He accused China of exploiting the USMCA – a free-trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada – by building “large [EV] factories … across the border in Mexico” and promised to impose tariffs of up to 200 per cent on cars made there.
But Trump left open the possibility of exempting Chinese companies that build factories on American soil, saying: “Those plants are going to be built in the United States and our people are going to man those plants.”
