Tamara Keith

He's director of the China Initiative at Brown University.

Iran's foreign minister just recently went to China and met with his counterpart there.

And China is credited with helping to push Iran to accept that initial ceasefire.

Goldstein says he could imagine Trump asking Xi to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make a deal to end the war.

Inevitably.

Ali Wine with the International Crisis Group says it favors Xi.

For instance, he says the U.S.

will need rare earth minerals from China to rebuild its supply of missile interceptors that have been depleted by the war.

To hear Trump tell it, though, the war with Iran hasn't affected his friendly relationship with Xi.

And when there have been questions about China possibly assisting Iran with the war, Trump has downplayed those concerns.

You're welcome.

This week on the NPR Politics Podcast, President Trump has never been more unpopular.

And the midterms are now less than six months away.

The politics of a wartime economy this week on the NPR Politics Podcast.

Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

President Trump said the Republican state senators who rejected his push for new congressional maps should be ashamed of themselves.

Then he and his political allies work to recruit challengers and have dumped millions of dollars into the races.

Republican state Senator Spencer Deary is one of the targeted incumbents.

A political advisor to President Trump tells NPR these incumbents are headed to their, quote, political slaughter.

Tamara Keith, NPR News.