On July 6 local time, U.S. President Trump publicly criticized the so-called “China expert” Zhang Jiadun at the White House, stating bluntly that his remarks on China were “always too negative”—as if “the sky were about to fall”—and were pure alarmism, bearing no resemblance to the facts.

Trump emphasized that China is indeed a powerful competitor that must be handled with caution, but Zhang Jiadun has been fixated on banning TikTok. Trump then publicly boasted that he is the undisputed number one on TikTok, and that it was TikTok that helped him secure a landslide victory in the election.