One writer who has predicted China Dictator Xi Jinping’s imminent downfall, Gregory Slayton, is sticking to his guns even though “critics scoffed” when he last made the case, in June. He says that the news since then that Xi is skipping an upcoming BRICS meeting confirms that the dictator’s hold on power is indeed weakening.
Slayton doesn’t discuss the counterarguments offered by those who reject the Xi’s-on-his-way-out theory. Whatever our view on that, though, perhaps we can all agree that “Trump can give him a push” (New York Post, July 16, 2025).
A flagging economy, huge outflows of capital, unemployment rates in depression territory and completely unsustainable public and private debt levels are driving deep unrest and even public protests in various regions of China.
If a critical mass of CCP leaders believes their nation cannot afford any more upheaval, they may well be orchestrating a smooth exit for Xi to avoid a messy coup….
There’s little the United States can or should do directly to push Xi out of power—but Trump certainly can encourage positive change in China with several concrete actions.
These concrete actions by the president would include backing a pending bill to impose new sanctions on Russia and following up on his threat to “impose 100% ‘secondary tariffs’ on China and other countries that buy Russian energy…. Continuing to partner with Putin in the face of such crippling sanctions would be economic suicide for China, and the absolute end of Xi’s regime.”
Slayton also wants President Trump to fight harder against Chinese espionage and to “send clear signals that the United States will welcome new Chinese leadership committed to a peaceful foreign policy, the rule of law and more personal and economic freedoms for its people.”
That the United States would welcome such changes is clear already. China’s leaders know that America’s leaders (the better ones, anyway) are no fans of the CCP dictatorship; if they didn’t know, China’s spokesmen wouldn’t be repeatedly denouncing U.S. criticism and sanctions. But sure, let’s try to make things even clearer.
