As U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 14 for his first state visit to China since 2017, much of the mainstream media framed the moment as Xi Jinping holding the stronger hand. That framing is contrary to the facts.
The U.S. carried out 573 air strikes in Trump’s first year alone, more than Biden’s entire four-year total of 494, according to ACLED. When coalition strikes are included, the 2025 total rises to 658, approaching Biden’s four-year coalition figure of 694. The operations spanned eleven distinct theaters in seventeen months. In Somalia, the administration conducted more operations in 2025 alone than the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations combined, beginning February 1 with ISIS strikes in the Golis Mountains coordinated with the Somali government.
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