Former president Donald Trump wants voters to believe that he would be tough on Communist China if returned to the Oval Office. But is that really the case?

Yes, as president, Trump took bold and important actions to address China’s threat. He bolstered the U.S. military’s capability and readiness, cracked down on Chinese espionage, and confronted Chinese trade malpractice. Just as former President Harry Truman put the U.S. on a necessary Cold War footing against the Soviet Union, Trump helped establish a new bipartisan consensus on addressing China’s threats. Beijing remains visibly flustered as it struggles to understand how the golden days of Barack Obama’s appeasement so quickly became a distant memory.