Trump on CNN: China 'are not our friends. These are our enemies'

In a CNN Situation Room interview with Wolf Blitzer, Donald Trump characterized China as enemies of the United States, stating 'These are not our friends. These are our enemies.' Trump claimed China was 'ripping off the United States' to the tune of $300 billion annually through currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, and counterfeiting. He proposed a 25% tax on all Chinese imports and said China doesn't understand diplomacy, only economic pressure. When asked about running for president, Trump said he was giving it 'very serious thought' and would decide 'sometime prior to June,' focusing on jobs and the economy. The inflammatory rhetoric marked Trump's escalating anti-China messaging as part of his presidential positioning.

"These are not our friends. These are our enemies." — Trump on CNN Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, characterizing China, Jan. 20, 2011