What's true? That China holds all the cards, and that we're the BADGUYS here?

No. That we're less of the GOODGUYS than we were previously.

We've announced, in no uncertain terms, that we have no intention of being the "good guys" any more. We're not going to be the baddies, but we're certainly going to be looking out only and exclusively for our own interests going forward. If there's a conflict between what's good for the world and what's good for us, we're choosing the latter.

That's a change. The whole point of America First is that we're changing our role in the world. Well, that has an impact. If we change how we're treating other countries, they'll change how they treat us.

Previously, all of the other countries that we count as our allies could afford to let the U.S. grow powerful without the need to take any actions to counter it. They could trust us not to treat them like adversaries. Those days are gone. So now it's in the best interests of many of our former allies to start checking our power on the international stage, to start triangulating between us and other global powers to thwart our dominance.

Again, this is what America First is all about. We're no longer going to be the Leader of the Free World, we're no longer going to be exceptional. We're looking out for our own interests only....which means all of the countries that have long been our allies are going to start treating us like that kind of country now. When you give up the responsibilities and constraints that come with the mantle of being the Leader of the Free World, you also give up the benefits of it as well.