World War Xi: What is Trump’s Plan, and What Must It Be – Victory or ‘Restraint’/Retreat?

WASHINGTON, D.C.— For decades, Donald Trump has been clear-eyed and prescient about the threat posed to the United States and freedom-loving people everywhere by the Chinese Communist Party. During his first term as President, he did more than any of his predecessors since Nixon to push back against that mortal enemy.

In the wake of his successor’s comprehensive appeasement of the CCP and other damage to America’s military, economic strength, energy security and position in the world, Mr. Trump campaigned for reelection on a platform of adopting anew a policy of “peace through strength.” His Cabinet officers in the key national security agencies share that commitment and have pledged to implement it.

Now that Mr. Trump and a number of those top subordinates are in office, precisely defining and executing the new administration’s approach to Communist China has become a hotly contested matter.

Some sub-Cabinet positions, notably at the Defense Department, have been filled by proponents of a policy they characterize as “restraint.” While professing an alignment with Trumpian America First priorities, in practice, they seem to favor a continuation of Biden accommodations to Beijing, emphasizing trade and “engagement.”

Hopeful speculation is growing on the left that Mr. Trump’s famous penchant for deal-making will cause him to pursue a “grand bargain” with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, rather than robust responses to the CCP’s increasing belligerent rhetoric and capabilities to act on them.

The next Committee on the Present Danger: China (CPDC) webinar today from 1-2:15 p.m. ET will explore what actually is Donald Trump’s approach to the CCP and whether it is likely to conduce to victory for the United States or what amounts to retreat, and ultimately our defeat. Panelists will assess the stakes and offer constructive suggestions for what America should do now vis a vis the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

WHAT: A CPDC Webinar | “World War Xi: What is Trump’s Plan, and What Must it Be – Victory or ‘Restraint’/Retreat?”

WHEN: 1:00 – 2:15 pm ET, Friday, February 7, 2025

WHO:

Moderator: Frank Gaffney, President, Institute for the American Future; Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China

Participants:

Daniel Greenfield, Executive Vice President, David Horowitz Freedom Center; author, “Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers Fight Against the Left”
• Topic: “Is ‘Restraint’ Code for ‘Retreat’ – and Is that What Donald Trump Seeks with Respect to the CCP?”

Captain James Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Former Director of Intelligence and Information Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Co-author, “Embracing Communist China: America's Greatest Strategic Failure”
• Topic: “Embracing Communist China – Are We in for More of America’s Greatest Strategic Failure?”

Colonel John Mills, U.S. Army (Ret.); Veteran Special Operator; former senior official responsible for Cybersecurity Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; former member, the National Security Council staff and detailed to the Department of Homeland Security; host, “The National Security Hour”; author, “War Against the Deep State”
• Topic: “Peace Through Strength – The One National Security Strategy that Works”

Cleo Paskal, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; consultant, Network for Strategic Analysis; board member, International Board of Advisors of the Global Counter-Terrorism Council; taught at Defense Colleges in the United Kingdom, India and Oman
• Topic: “Political Warfare – Lessons from the South Pacific”

Colonel Grant Newsham, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Former Military Attaché in Embassy Tokyo; former Foreign Service Officer; longtime business executive in the Western Pacific; Author, “When China Attacks: A Warning to America”
• Topic: “Engage with our Allies, not our Enemies: Diplomacy backed by Military Power”

Dr. John Lenczowski, Founder, President Emeritus, and Chancellor of The Institute of World Politics; former Special Advisor for the U.S. State Department in the Bureau of European Affairs (1981 to 1983); former Director of European and Soviet Affairs in Reagan's National Security Council (1983-1987); author, “Full-Spectrum Diplomacy and Grand Strategy” (2011) among other titles
• Topic: “Undermine the Chinese Communist Party: Adopt the Reagan Playbook that Ended the Prior ‘Evil Empire’” (Invited.)

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