Once again, US President Donald Trump has become meme fodder in China—this time over the ongoing tariff war. While the issue has serious implications for global markets, from plunging stock values to broader economic uncertainty, Chinese internet users have found humour in the chaos. What was meant to be a display of strength has instead become a spectacle: Trump’s tariff threats have morphed into endlessly meme-worthy content.
The digital space is now a minefield of mockery, with Chinese social media users treating the trade dispute as both absurd theatre and comic relief.
Jokes on Trump
A meme circulating on Weibo humorously portrays Trump as a villainous character from Naruto—a Japanese manga series, with the text “make the world feel pain.” This exaggerated representation reflects the economic disruption caused by his policies, while amplifying his role as a destructive force on the global stage.
When China announced its retaliatory 34 per cent tariffs, Trump reacted with his trademark late-night fury. Users on platforms like Baidu, Weibo, and WeChat captured the moment, imagining him tossing in bed, tormented by China’s counterpunch, muttering, “What to do, what to do?” One post showed that after three sleepless nights, Trump could not take it anymore and had to tweet.
In the Chinese digital space, “head-patting decision-making” was coined to describe Washington’s erratic, impulsive policymaking. Trump’s threat to raise tariffs by another 50 per cent was seen as a classic example of this, a moment of frustration where he metaphorically slapped his own head and tweeted without thinking. As one user commented, “This isn’t foreign policy—this is a barbecue stall conversation turned into national strategy.”
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Li Xunlei, Chief Economist at Zhongtai International, remarked that Trump seeks to alter the international order that the US once led, convinced that America has been at a disadvantage. Balancing trade, devaluing the dollar, and maintaining a strong position are proving more challenging than expected.
Li argues that while Trump’s unilateral approach may seem anomalous, it is merely the latest chapter in America’s long history of trying to suppress a rising China. While former US President Joe Biden focused on “de-Chinaisation,” Trump’s “de-globalisation” promotes isolationism while aggressively containing China. Ironically, Li added, this has led to the Thucydides Trap—a trap Trump may have set for himself, with no one else to blame when it snaps shut.
Trump’s tariff war, threats, and erratic decisions have made him a figure of comedy on Chinese social media. His actions are often compared to a character in a popular Chinese joke—a man hosting friends whose misguided statements drive them all away. This captures Trump’s approach to diplomacy, which a Chinese commentator has dubbed “demolition diplomacy.” Every bold move, from tariffs on Mexico and Canada to the absurd Greenland proposal, alienates allies and stirs chaos. The commentary mentioned, that in less than two months, Trump has done what the Soviet Union could only dream of: disrupting North American integration.
One of the most widely circulated memes portrays Trump as someone who can even terrify penguins, making them his economic victims. The idea that no one is safe from Trump’s tariffs became a popular theme in both English and Chinese social media memes.
But the memes don’t stop at Trump. The Chinese internet is also roasting other countries for their responses to Trump’s tariffs. One commentator quipped, “The knees of EU negotiators are more flexible than their bottom line,” poking fun at the EU’s eagerness to bend rather than confront Trump. Another joked, “The fairness of the EU is based on the GPS positioning of the US!” This sarcastically highlights how EU decisions often seem to align with US interests. In this context, a viral Weibo meme depicting two marmots mapped with China and the EU shows China taking the lead in addressing the tariff issue. The EU-marmot is being restrained, symbolising the EU’s precarious position.
Chinese aren’t scared
The reason this trade war has sparked more comedy than concern online is simple: the US has more to lose. At least that’s the prevailing sentiment on Chinese social media.
There is a strong belief that China will weather the storm. Zhang Weiwei, a member of the National High-end Think Tank Council and the Dean of the China Research Institute at Fudan University, reiterated that China has long been prepared for Trump’s global tariff war. The US economy is already more dependent on China than vice versa. In the event of a trade war between China and the US, Zhang said, Washington will suffer more. As one comment put it: ‘The Chinese are laughing at Trump and might even take advantage of the chaos to target Taiwan.’
Underlying this humour is a deep confidence in the Chinese government’s ability to navigate the crisis, and perhaps turn it to its advantage. Chinese social media users are not just mocking Trump; they are subtly challenging traditional ideas of power and control of narratives in the digital age.
Sana Hashmi is a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation. She tweets @sanahashmi1. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
“These countries are calling us up. Kissing my a**. They are dying to make a deal,” Trump told a group of Republicans on Tuesday evening, hours before the tariffs were set to take hold. He described foreign leaders essentially groveling to avoid the new tariffs: “Please, please sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything sir.”