The President's Daily Brief - May 14th, 2025: Secret Chinese Delegation Spotted At U.S. Treasury & And Trump’s Deal With The Saudis

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We’ll start with some cloak and dagger diplomacy that flew under the radar last month—a secret visit by a Chinese delegation to the U.S. Treasury Department reveals just how far the Chinese Communist Party will go to control the narrative. President Trump kicks off his Middle East swing with two major announcements: a $600 billion Saudi investment pledge and a $142 billion arms deal. Plus, the latest from Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu says the fight against Hamas is entering its final phase. And in today’s Back of the Brief—a new era of U.S.-Syrian relations may be on the horizon, as President Trump moves to lift decades-old sanctions on Syria. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text PDB to 64000. Message and data rates apply   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The stylish 2026 Toyota RAP4 Limited. What's your Rav for? It's Wednesday the 14th of May. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off with some cloak and dagger diplomacy. Ooh, that sounds intriguing, that flew under the radar.

It was a secret visit by a Chinese delegation to the U.S. Treasury Department, and it shows just how far the Chinese Communist Party will go to manage perception and try to control the narrative. We'll have those details. Later in the show, President Trump kicks off his Middle East swing with a pair of announcements, a $600 billion with a B Saudi investment pledge, including a $142 billion arms deal. Now that is a lot of fat Saudi stacks. Plus, the latest from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu,

says the fight is entering its final phase, vowing to unleash, quote, full force to finish off Hamas once and for all. And in today's back of the brief, a new era of U.S. Syrian relations may be taking shape, as President Trump announces plans to lift decades-old sanctions. But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to start today's show with a story that flew under the radar late last month, but it says a lot about how the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP, operates and how it tries to control the optics. You may recall, ahead of the formal U.S.-China-Texam. trade negotiations that took place this past weekend in Geneva, President Trump said that trade talks between the U.S. and China were already underway, and that was a claim that the CCP quickly and

aggressively denied. But now, well, it looks like Trump was correct, and the CCP was lying. I know it's hard to believe that the Chinese Communist Party would stray from the truth. According to a report from one of South Korea's largest newspapers, U.S. and Chinese officials began behind-the-scenes discussions regarding the tariff war nearly three weeks ago. The paper confirmed that around 7 a.m. on the 24th of April, a high-ranking official from the Chinese Ministry of Finance was seen entering the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., along with nearly a dozen staffers. While the paper was unable to confirm the identity of the senior Chinese official,

he was reportedly seen wearing an identification required for all G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, participating in trade talks that were going on that week in Washington. Adding to the intrigue, the South Korean papers said the Chinese delegation, quote, strongly blocked the press from taking photos of high-ranking officials entering the U.S. Treasury Building. The senior official, who refused to reveal his identity, reportedly went so far as to demand that the press delete all photos taken of them from their smartphones, saying, quote, we have no authority to block the freedom of the press, but we have the right to refuse.

used to allow our personnel to be photographed, end quote. Their secretive meeting at the Treasury was reportedly held just an hour before U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jameson Greer met with a delegation from South Korea for tariff negotiations, though those negotiations were publicly confirmed. At the time, a diplomatic source told the South Korean paper they, quote, The fact that the Treasury communication channels of both the U.S. and China are actually operating means that both countries have reached a critical point under domestic and international pressure

due to the current retaliatory tariffs, adding, quote, the results of the backroom negotiations between the two sides could be a major turning point in the tariff war. Now, given the trade breakthrough reached between the U.S. and China this past weekend, it appears a diplomatic source was right. So why all the cloak and dagger diplomacy? Well, the same source told the paper, quote, since this tariff war is unfolding as a battle of pride, it may not be easy to create some kind of win-win structure. The source stressed that, quote, the fact that China visited the U.S. Treasury Department in person could be an extremely sensitive issue for China. In short, it appears the CCP wanted to keep the activity quiet to save face. They likely feared that confirmation

of such talks would make it look like they were caving to U.S. tariff pressure, weakening their negotiating position with other countries who they had warned not to engage with the U.S. in a way that would undermine China's economic interests. But for all their posturing and denials of back-channel conversations with the White House, it appears President Trump was telling the truth about early contact between the U.S. and China on the subject of tariffs. It may even explain why, to the surprise of many financial analysts, that Washington and Beijing were able to come to such a quick understanding to de-escalate the trade war. at the official talks in Geneva. As we discussed on Monday's PDB, the U.S. and China agreed to

lower their reciprocal tariffs on each other by 115 percentage points for a period of 90 days, during which discussions will continue on securing a long-term trade deal. That temporary pause will effectively lower U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. China also agreed to remove all non-tariff countermeasures, such as export restrictions on some rare earth minerals. And it looks like the ice is continuing to thaw. On Tuesday, news broke that China had lifted their restriction on plane deliveries from American Aerospace Giant Boeing, which they had halted in April as part of their economic retaliation against Trump's tariffs. Additionally, the U.S. announced Tuesday that the U.S.

they will cut the de minimis tariff for low-value items imported from China from 120% to 54%. Now, while the progress is encouraging, it's fair to say that there's still a lot left to negotiate between the globe's two largest economies. All right, coming up after the break, President Trump announces major deals with Saudi Arabia as he begins his Middle East tour, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vows to bring the fight against Hamas to a decisive end. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, this July, and this is an important piece of news, there's going to be a global summit of BRICS nations being held in Rio de Janeiro. The block of emerging superpowers, it includes China and Russia, India, and Iran, are meeting with

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in what the White House is touting as the dawn of a golden era in U.S. Saudi relations anchored in economic cooperation. At the core of the package is a $142 billion arms agreement involving more than a dozen American defense contractors, which the administration is touting as the largest

defense cooperation deal in American history. According to a White House fact sheet, the package includes advanced systems for air, missile, and ground defense, and is being positioned as a strategic bulwark against the Iranian influence in the region. In addition to defense, the broader agreement touches on energy, mining, and internal security, among them a newly inked partnership between Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior and the FBI. Trump officials say the deals will generate thousands of American jobs and deepen bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors. The announcement came during the U.S.-S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, confirmed that $300 billion in deals had already been signed.

He pledged to raise the total to $1 trillion, declaring, quote, we will work in the coming months on the second phase to complete deals, end quote. Trump, seated beside the crown prince during the forum, praised the relationship as both personal and strategic. The president stated, quote, I really believe we like each other a lot. Well, that's nice, calling MBS a friend and ally while framing the deals as a blueprint for shared prosperity.

The White House in its statement echoed that sentiment, describing the investments as, quote, historic and transformative for both countries. The investment minister of Saudi Arabia drove that point home, telling attendees, quote, when Saudis and Americans join forces, very good things happen, more often than not, great things happen, end quote. Two sources told Reuters that discussions also explored the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. It remains unclear whether that deal was included in the final power.

Beyond defense and investment, Trump addressed the broader geopolitical landscape. He again urged Saudi Arabia to consider normalizing relations with Israel, but he made clear that such a decision should be dictated by Saudi priorities, telling MBS that normalization should happen, quote, in your own time. I'd like to point out that the omission of Israel from this trip's travel itinerary is a notable departure from Trump's first term Gulf Tour, which has raised questions. questions about the current state of the U.S.-Israel relationship amid the administrations behind-the-scenes push for a Gaza ceasefire agreement. On Iran, the president struck a familiar chord, diplomacy

if possible, pressure if not, referencing the ongoing talks of securing a nuclear deal. Trump offered the Iranian regime what he called, quote, a new and better path toward a more helpful future in securing such an agreement. But if talks failed, he warned the Islamic regime would continue to face maximum pressure, echoing his ongoing sanctions campaign. Trump is now scheduled to arrive in Qatar today and the UAE tomorrow, with meetings planned in Abu Dhabi. While Washington's decades-old alliance with Saudi Arabia has traditionally centered on oil for security guarantees, Trump's trip signaled a shift toward one built on mutual investment in a broader effort to redefine America's role in the Gulf, through economic engagement,

rather than military dominance. Okay. Turning to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu is vowing to launch a full-scale military operation in Gaza this week to defeat Hamas and break the terror group's grip on the enclave. Speaking to IDF reservists, Netanyahu pledged, quote, In the coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation. He left little ambiguity about the objective, adding, quote, completing the operation means defeating Hamas.

It means destroying Hamas, end quote. Netanyahu emphasized that full dismantling of Hamas and the return of hostages taken during the Iran-backed terror group 7 October 2023 attacks are objectives that, quote, go hand in hand. His remarks came just hours before the release of Eden Alexander and Israeli-American hostage on Monday. As we reported here on the PDB with his release, 58 hostages are now believed to remain in Hamas' captivity, although Israeli intelligence estimates suggest that fewer than half remain alive.

While expressing a willingness to receive additional hostage releases, Netanyahu made clear that such gestures would not stall the looming military operation. He stated, quote, It's possible that Hamas will say, time out, we want to release ten more hostages. Fine, bring them, we'll take them, and then we'll go in, making it clear that there's no situation in which IDF forces will halt their advance. While allowing that a temporary ceasefire could be struck, he doubled down with, quote, we're going all the way. Despite Netanyahu's hard line, U.S. envoys appear cautiously optimistic. Special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Whitkoff, and Special Envoy Adam Boller met with hostage families in Tel Aviv on Tuesday before flying to

Doha, where negotiations continue. According to Boller, Alexander's release earlier in the week created momentum for a broader agreement, perhaps. The envoys reportedly told families that they would not be heading to Qatar if there weren't a credible chance to advance the talks. Tuesday evening, Netanyahu convened Israel's security cabinet to review a proposal relayed by Qatari intermediaries on behalf of Whitkoff that would secure the release of 10 more hostages, but any progress risks being overtaken by the rapidly approaching military operation. At the same time, Israel expects roughly half of Gaza's civilian population, be over one million of the enclave's 2.3 million residents,

to flee in advance of the IDF's anticipated actions. Netanyahu reiterated previous claims that a government agency has been formed to oversee the transfer of people, but acknowledged that the plan hinges on the cooperation from foreign governments. The Israeli Prime Minister stated, quote, there is one problem, we need countries to receive them. This is what we are working on right now, end quote. Now that relocation plan has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups who warn that it may amount to forced displacement. Nonetheless, Israeli officials argue the measure is necessary to sever Hamas from its civilian shield and to reduce casualties. As Israel

readies its forces and American envoys press ahead in Doha, well, the window for diplomacy is obviously closing. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, President Trump announces the end of all U.S. sanctions on Syria, telling a crowd in Riyadh, it's time to, quote, give them a chance at greatness. I'll have those details next. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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bundle, restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will remove all sanctions on Syria in a major U.S. policy shift. Trump made the surprise announcement during his visit to Saudi Arabia, where, as we just discussed, he secured a $600 billion investment pledge from Riyadh. The president said he made the decision to lift sanctions on Syria, following a request from Saudi Crown Prince, MBS, jesting in public remarks, quote, oh what I do for the crown prince, end quote.

Hmm, according to Reuters. Turkish President Erdogan also reportedly lobbied the president hard for the removal of the long-standing sanctions. For some brief background, Syria has been under sanctions from the U.S. since 1979, when they were officially designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Additional sanctions were imposed in 2004 on the regime of then-president Assad, and again in 2011 after the outbreak of the bloody Syrian Civil War. But Assad was ousted from power in December by a coalition of Islamist rebel groups led by former Al-Qaeda operative Ahmed al-Shara. His new Islamist government has been requesting that Western sanctions be lifted since December to help

rebuild the war-torn country, but many remain skeptical of his motivations. Despite renouncing his past ties to terrorism and pledges to unify the country's religious minorities, he has struggled to maintain stability, with brutal sectarian violence continuing to plague post-Assad Syria. Israeli leaders in particular remain deeply mistrustful of the new Sunni Islamist government and have carved out a demilitarized zone in southern Syria near the Golan Heights to protect their border from Islamist extremist groups. But it appears President Trump wants to give Shiraz's administration a chance. Trump said that while the sanctions had served an important purpose in the past, it was time to move forward and work to restore U.S. relations with Syria now that Assad is gone.

The move suggests he sees an opportunity to secure a long-term U.S. victory by stabilizing the region and opening Syria up to investment opportunities for U.S. businesses, undercutting adversaries like Russia and China, that's according to an analysis by the Atlantic Council think tank. White House officials told Reuters that President Trump will briefly greet Shara in the Saudi Arabian capital on Wednesday. Trump said, quote, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.

That's what we want to see. The president added, quote, it's their time to shine, so I say, good luck, Syria, show us something very special, end quote. Whether Shirah can deliver on his promise to reform the fractured nation, however, well, that remains to be seen. The ongoing sectarian bloodshed suggests that peace and stability in Syria may continue to prove elusive. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, the 14th of May. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad-free, yes, that's possible,

just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. It really is very, very simple. And when you have a spare moment, do please check out our YouTube channel. You can find that at President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the BDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpay, No judgments, but that's weird.

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