This study intends to explore the rise of Donald Trump to the White House. Why was Donald Trump considered a populist leader, and how did his populist rhetoric and actions impact the contours of American domestic and foreign policies? The study adopted qualitative exploratory and explanatory research techniques. Specific methods utilised to conduct the study remained political personality profiling. It finds that the populist leaders construct the binaries in the society by dividing the nation into two groups: 'us' the people, against 'them' the corrupt elite or other groups presented as a threat to the lives and livelihood of the nation. Though populism as a unique brand of politics remained active through most of the US history, yet these were only two occasions that populists were successful in winning the American presidential elections -Andrew Jackson in 1828 and Donald Trump in 2016. Structural and historical reasons became the biggest cause behind the election of Donald Trump, who successfully brought a revolution in American domestic and foreign policies. And if structural issues in the United States are not addressed, there is a clear chance that Trump - who is not withering away- will come back to contest and challenge any competitors in the 2024 presidential elections.

In this study, the challenges of the Sino-US rivalry under the presidencies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden are discussed. Trump trade and economic approach, and the product of tariffs and sanctions, with its America First wish attached on decreasing the general demand of the nation on Chinese production. The administration as a zero-sum game in which major emphasis was given to trade deficits, intellectual property theft, and not including vital areas of life in China. In this paper, potential economic and geopolitical consequences of these two opposite strategies, such as new patterns of international trade, the ability of China to cushion against economic shocks, the effect of these strategies on innovation, and technological leadership, are assessed. These presidencies are compared in the study and help to comprehend the shifting course of the U.S.-China economic relations and implications on the international balance of power.