Remember when Trump was so pro-America/anti-China, that he ripped the Asian nation mercilessly, over how they were devaluing their currency, unfair trade practices, yada yada yada?

Man… Those were the days, right?

Oddly enough, once he gets to CH-I-NA, they’re not the bad guys, anymore.

So who is to blame for the unfair trade practices that the president railed on so consistently, when he was still only candidate Trump?

Apparently, we are, for being so gullible.

Said Trump, while speaking in China:

Emerging from meetings with Mr. Xi, Mr. Trump said the “very one-sided and unfair” trade relationship between the U.S. and China is actually the fault of his predecessors in Washington. He called Mr. Xi “a very special man.”

“I don’t blame China,” Mr. Trump said. “After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? I give China great credit.”

Trump has actually been obsessed with Xi Jinping, since he was “elevated” in status to that of a supreme leader, in the vein of Mao.

Trump fails to see the drawback in a communist regime that makes power central to one person.

He did go on to speak of fixing the unfair trade practices and helping the U.S.

He told Chinese and U.S. business leaders at an event, “I do blame past [U.S.] administrations for allowing this out-of-control trade deficit to take place and to grow. We have to fix this because it just doesn’t work for our great American companies, and it doesn’t work for our great American workers. It is just not sustainable.”

Mr. Trump said China “must immediately address the unfair trade practices that drive” the trade imbalance.

Well, there’s that, but it doesn’t really wash, following behind his praise of China for taking advantage of the U.S.

At some point, somebody must have told him that that sounded perfectly presidential.

Then again, he’s been known to go off-message, and he lets his real nature slip through. He was treated with a red carpet greeting. Flattery gets you everywhere with Trump.

During the presidential campaign in 2016, Mr. Trump said the U.S. can no longer “allow China to rape our country,” and complained that “grossly incompetent” U.S. officials were allowing China’s currency manipulation and intellectual property theft.

On Thursday in Beijing, Mr. Trump said of the trade relationship, “we will make it fair and it will be tremendous for both of us.”

Mr. Xi smiled widely when Mr. Trump said he does not blame China for the deficit.

OH, to know the thoughts behind that smile.

I think we can make a pretty good guess.