That was then, this is now

 Cal Thomas 

 Some financial analysts believe Trump has the upper hand with China as that country's economy is anything but strong. China's leaders don't want to lose face with the U.S. and if President Xi Jinping mishandles this war his leadership could be threatened. 

 In Yet Another Cruel Blow To China, General Tso’s Chicken To Be
 Renamed ‘General Don's Oriental Chicky Nugs’ Babylon Bee

 "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them … well, I have others."– Groucho Marx

"Guess who said this: "China takes total advantage of the United States. They steal our intellectual property using cyber theft. Not only do they steal our intellectual property, they keep our good companies out, and say the only way you're going to be able to sell your American products in China … is if you come to China, make them there, and give us the techniques and intellectual property."

"Elon Musk? Nope. President Trump? Wrong again. That was then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a 2018 radio interview. On another occasion that same year, Schumer said: "I'm closer to him (Trump) on trade than I was to either Obama, a Democrat, or Bush, a Republican, because we've got to get tougher on China. … But the president and his team have to stick with it, be strong, and not sell out for a temporary purchase of goods without addressing the real issue: the theft of American intellectual property which will cost us millions of American jobs in the long run."

"How about this one: "In terms of tariffs, it's interesting to note that the average MFN (most favored nation) tariff for Chinese goods coming into the United States is two percent, whereas the average MFN tariff on U.S. goods going to China is 35 percent. Is that reciprocal?"

"Same list of choices? Wrong again. That was Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in 1996.

"One more: "It's also proper for advanced economies like the United States to insist on reciprocity from nations like China."

"That was President Barack Obama speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2018.

"What changed and caused many Democrats who previously favored tariffs to now excoriate Trump over the tariff policies they once supported? Why, politics, of course. Politicians can change positions faster than they can change lanes.

"On Wednesday, the president announced a 90-day "pause" in his implementation of tariffs. China was the lone exception as the trade war with that communist country continues." . . .