“China has a history that goes back 5,000 years, right? 5,000 years?” wonders Donald Trump.
“We have 3,000 years with a written language,” Xi says through a translator as the two old dudes wander through an abandoned Forbidden City on the way to dinner.
“I guess the older culture, they say, is Egypt with 8,000,” is Trump’s reply.
“Egypt is a bit more ancient,” Xi concedes. “But the only continuous civilization to continue onwards is China.”
“We are the original people, black hair, yellow skin, inherited onwards,” Xi laughs. “We call ourselves the descendants of the dragon.”
Listen, I never want to be on the same side of any argument as Donald Trump. If Trump came out with a firm stance opposing the immolation of puppies, I’d probably rename my dog “Kindling.” It was also an incredibly — although characteristically —asinine thing to say at a summit of world leaders. And, of course, Trump is an idiot and the worst president by a long shot to ever get elected by the American people.
Xi’s response, knee-jerk though it was, was instructive.