James Carville Says Trump’s China Trip Is a Big Grift

james carville said President Donald Trump’s trip to China is "a big grift," tying the visit to money-making rather than policy. Speaking Wednesday on the Politicon podcast with Al Hunt, he said Trump’s focus was simple: "You know what? He might be telling the truth" and then added, "Because I think there’s only one thing that he’s thinking about in his trip to China: and that is a big grift."

Politicon Podcast

Carville said Trump was taking wealthy executives along for the trip, including Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Tim Cook, David Solomon and Kelly Ortberg. He said, "Look at who he’s taking with him. Look at what he’s doing," and argued that "the Chinese... there’s going to be economic exchanges. There’s gonna be investment opportunities," which, in his view, creates the setting for Trump to be bought off.

Trump In Beijing

Trump arrived in Beijing this week for two days of talks on trade, AI and Taiwan. It is his first visit to China as a U.S. president since 2017, and the trip puts business leaders into the same frame as one of the administration’s highest-level foreign meetings.

On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he plans to ask Xi Jinping to "open up" China to business with American companies. He added, "In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request," and described Xi as "a Leader of extraordinary distinction."

Trump And Xi Jinping

The clash between the two messages is direct: Carville cast the trip as personal enrichment, while Trump described it as a business opening for American companies. The Beijing talks now carry both the trade agenda Trump laid out and the criticism that his entourage of executives gives the trip a financial edge.