Why Does Donald Trump Refuse to Defend America?

"Trump's own FBI calls China's recent cyberattacks and influence operations against U.S. government agencies, businesses, and academic institutions "a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States." But when asked whether he had discussed these attacks with Xi, the president not only waved the question away but seemed almost eager to absolve China as a nation no better or worse than America: "I did. And he talked about attacks that we did in China. You know, what they do, we do too. It's, like, the spying; they're talking about, Oh, the spying. I said, 'Well, we do it too.'""

"When pressed for a clarification, Trump went on: "I'm talking about spying. The question was asked of me yesterday, I guess, 'What about the fact that China is spying in the United States?' I said, 'Well, it's one of those things because we spy like hell on them too.'" The response frames Chinese activity as reciprocal and normalizes it by emphasizing U.S. intelligence practices rather than addressing the specific threat described by the FBI."

"Trump was then asked about concerns that China was inserting code in crucial systems that control various parts of American infrastructure, such as energy, communications, and water. "You don't know that," he answered. "I'd like to see it, but it's very possible that" The answer shifts from evaluating the risk to questioning the certainty of the claim while leaving open the possibility of similar behavior."

"He keeps a picture of himself with the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin on the wall of the White House. He claims to have fallen "in love" with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He publicly supported Hungary's Viktor Orbán, who has been chased from power, and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, who is now under house arrest for the next two decades. He just returned from China and gushed about how the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, is a "great leader" whom he's honored to have as "a friend.""

Trump has shown admiration for multiple authoritarian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Viktor Orbán, Jair Bolsonaro, and Xi Jinping. A China summit reinforced the pattern of intimidation and flattery influencing Trump’s alignment, even against U.S. interests. The FBI characterizes China’s cyberattacks and influence operations targeting U.S. government agencies, businesses, and academic institutions as a grave threat to economic well-being and democratic values. When asked about discussing these attacks with Xi, Trump dismissed the question and suggested China’s actions were comparable to U.S. spying. He also responded to concerns about code inserted into critical infrastructure by saying the information was unknown and expressing openness to seeing evidence.

Read at The Atlantic