President Donald Trump’s national defense team believes the United States is in a cold war with the Chinese Communist Party. Despite the political division in Washington, this is one point upon which the two parties seem to agree — in theory, at least. Last September, former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made headlines with the following statement: “Frankly, the Cold War pales in comparison to the multifaceted challenges that China presents.”
In 2023, then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made similar remarks at a Heritage Foundation event titled, “Winning the New Cold War with China.” Despite a growing consensus toward the idea of a Cold War redux, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing failed to include discussion about the type of budget needed to fight one.
