ALL nATIONALISMS ARE ALLIED:

Everyone involved could agree, at least, that Trump was livid. "However the phone call happened, the president reads about it in The New York Times as the biggest blunder in forty years, which he doesn't appreciate," a senior transition official said. "His wonderful staff had just told him to do the call and promised him positive results."

Trump's defensiveness was on display when he tweeted the next day that he hadn't initiated the call: "The President of Taiwan called me today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!" This left Beijing in a pickle. Speaking with Taiwan's leader was an affront that the rulers in China could not ignore.

Xi wanted to come to Mar-a-Lago and cement his relationship with Trump. But he couldn't lose face. The Taiwan call had to be walked back. Otherwise, Xi would be seen as conceding on a core issue for China right off the bat.

Trump wanted the problem with Xi fixed as well. He had never intended to offend Xi with the call. Trump saw the two countries as two giant corporations and Xi as his opposing CEO. You need a good relationship with the other CEO to have productive negotiations, at least at the start. Trump also looked up to strongman rulers like Xi: He was jealous of Xi's power but at the same time sought Xi's validation. But most of all, for Trump, a close personal relationship with Xi was the prerequisite for getting what he wanted--a deal.

So Kushner, working with the Chinese ambassador, devised a plan to break the impasse. On the evening of Thursday, February 9, after most White House staff had gone home, Kushner called Bannon and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the president's residence. There, Trump took a phone call from Xi. And, as Kushner had arranged, his father-in-law promised Xi directly that he would accept no more phone calls from the leader of Taiwan.

Tweet   @brothersjudd