Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told MS NOW that Donald Trump’s high-stakes summit in China comes at a “moment of weakness” for the president, as his “war of choice” with Iran and its devastating consequences for the U.S. economy push the president’s approval rating to record lows.

Trump touched down in Beijing on Wednesday for the two-day trip, his first visit to the country since 2017. He’s set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Merkley suggested has the upper hand.

The senator told the co-hosts of “The Weeknight” that China is aware of Trump’s political position and is “kind of rubbing it in his face,” adding, “They’re talking about China is a rising power and America under Trump’s leadership is a declining power.”

The Oregon Democrat said that for the United States, “It’s a lose-lose-lose situation, and Xi is very aware of that.”

Merkley called Trump’s war with Iran a “massive mistake” and said Americans are “extraordinarily stressed.” During his campaign, Trump promised to lower prices for the American people and vowed not to involve the U.S. in new conflicts abroad.

“And what are we facing? He started a war that, not only on its face, is damaging our national security and our alliances and a whole host of objectives the president had in the start, but we’re bearing the burden here at home,” he said. 

“Nobody is happy in this moment,” the senator told MS NOW.

Merkley said Trump could try to mitigate the pain the American people are feeling by proposing policies to lower costs in other areas of consumers’ lives, including housing and healthcare. “The president could say, ‘You know what, rising costs are an effect of the war, but I had to fight the war for this reason, but I’m going to take on those high costs for Americans,” he said. “But he’s not even trying.”

You can watch Merkley’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.

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