Written by Samuel Grayson.
On Thursday, April 10, 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning took a bizarre swing at President Donald Trump’s tariffs by posting a 72-year-old clip of Mao Zedong vowing to “fight” until victory over President Eisenhower. It’s a head-scratcher of a move—dragging out the founder of the Chinese Communist Party, a man whose name is tied to millions of deaths, to flex against trade pressure. For astute professionals watching global power plays, this isn’t just tone-deaf—it’s a window into a regime scrambling to look strong.
The footage, from 1953, shows Mao in full defiance mode, a relic of Cold War bluster. Mao Ning’s choice reeks of revisionism, the kind the Communist elite lean on to gloss over a bloody past. No one outside their bubble sees Mao as a hero—Germany trotting out Hitler would be less jarring. Yet here’s China, waving his ghost like a badge of honor while Trump’s tariffs bite into their export game.
Mao’s Legacy: Death and Dysfunction
Mao’s no poster child for leadership—his “Great Leap Forward,” kicked off five years after that speech, tanked China’s economy and piled up corpses. He forced communal farming and ideological lockstep, melting down tractors and killing off draft animals to make human labor the backbone. The result? A system so brittle it couldn’t handle the droughts and floods that have plagued China for centuries—starvation hit hard, dissenters got crushed, and the death toll climbed.
Estimates vary—30 million dead is the middle ground, 55 million if you buy the high end. The Party’s never been keen on tallying its flops—look at the Wuhan virus mess for proof. Mao didn’t just fail; he built a machine that chewed through lives. For a regular guy in Shanghai or a farmer’s kid in Henan, it’s a history that still stings—grandparents gone, stories hushed. Mao Ning’s clip doesn’t spook Trump—it’s a grim echo of that wreckage.
Xi Jinping’s in on this too. He’s spent years sidelining Deng Xiaoping’s legacy—Deng, the guy who yanked China into the modern world with industry and Western trade. Xi’s angling to top Mao in the Party pantheon, and Mao Ning’s stunt fits the script. Deng’s “open up” talk gets airtime, sure, but Xi’s the star now—Li Keqiang, Deng’s last big disciple, died young in 2023, and whispers say Xi’s hand was in it. Power’s the game, not progress.
A Misstep with Global Eyes Watching
If Mao Ning meant to signal grit—China ready to bleed its people dry to dodge fair trade—she nailed the poster boy. Mao’s track record backs that vibe: sacrifice millions, save face. But it’s a dumb play for allies. The free world doesn’t cheer tyrants—Hong Kong’s 2019 protesters would’ve been a bolder pick, except that’d land her in a camp. Deng or Li clips might’ve softened the edge, but Xi’s ego wouldn’t have it.
China’s got a knack for dodging its demons—Tiananmen, Mao, take your pick. This Mao rerun just rubs it in: no shame, no lessons. For a factory owner in Ohio or a coder in London, it’s a red flag—deal with a regime that props up a butcher? Pass. Trump’s tariffs, now in year two, have shaved billions off China’s exports—$50 billion in 2024 alone—and Beijing’s flailing. Mao Ning’s post isn’t a threat; it’s a flinch.
The Party’s boxed in. Xi’s tightened grip—censors, purges—echoes Mao, not Deng. Li’s death still fuels underground chatter; folks saw him as a counterweight till his “heart attack” at 63. Mao Ning’s flex reads like a plea: don’t count us out. But dragging up Mao when the world’s moved on? That’s not muscle—it’s a museum piece rattling its chains.
Our Take
Mao Ning’s Mao clip is a swing and a miss—China’s barking at Trump’s tariffs with a dead man’s voice, and it lands flat. Mao’s a mass killer, not a mascot; 30 million dead don’t cheer tariffs down. For sharp adults parsing this, it’s a neon sign: Beijing’s rattled, reaching for ghosts when the numbers don’t add up. Xi’s Mao worship might juice Party loyalists, but it’s a global dud.
Still, there’s a flip side—China’s not folding yet. They’ll eat pain before bending, and Mao’s the proof. My professional hunch? This backfires—allies won’t bite, and Trump’s team smells blood. Tariffs’ll tighten, and China’s stuck flexing a corpse. Brilliant minds should clock this: it’s not strength, it’s panic dressed up as history.
