'An easy mark': John Bolton says Xi, Putin are exploiting Trump's ego for strategic dominance

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton delivered a scathing assessment of President Trump's understanding of international relations, calling him an "easy mark," during a keynote discussion on America's role in defending democracy globally at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. 

Bolton suggested that Trump perceives "international relations as embodied in the relations of heads of state." This, in Bolton's view, leaves him vulnerable to manipulation by leaders like Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"He thinks he's friends with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. I will guarantee you that's not how they see Trump. They both see him as an easy mark," Bolton said, adding that Trump appears to be under the impression that his close friendship with Xi implies that the US-China state relations are in "great shape."

"He said at the Osaka G20 meeting that you're the greatest leader of China since Mao Zedong, which caught everybody by surprise. But then he said: 'You're the greatest leader in Chinese history'," Bolton continued. The former National Security Advisor's assessment reframes Trump's own narrative of a master dealmaker into that of a soft target. Bolton does not rate Trump's personalized diplomacy highly and views it as a sensitive opening. 

Bolton is not the only ambassador to flag concerns over Trump's style of diplomacy. Former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said that Trump’s "effusive praise" for Xi Jinping signals weakness, adding that the Chinese leader did not reciprocate his one-sided flattery.

McFaul, who served as an ambassador from 2012 to 2014, called Trump's "asymmetry of praise" unprecedented, and Trump's repeated use of words like "friend" and "great leader" does not help the U.S. relationship with China. He concluded that the summit resulted in no substantive deliverables for the American people.

Trump was on a two-day state visit to China, where the two presidents exchanged views on a wide range of issues, such as the Middle East situation, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean Peninsula. The two sides also discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation, including expanding market access for American businesses in China. 

Taiwan was the "most important issue" in China-U.S. relations, according to Xi, who warned that the two countries will have "clashes and even conflicts if it is not handled properly." "The U.S. side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question," read the statement by China's foreign ministry.