The U.S.’s abrupt declaration on Monday that China is no longer a currency cheat -- two days before the signing of a trade deal with Beijing -- shows how President Donald Trump has turned a routine, technical report on foreign exchange into a political cudgel.
“It’s absolutely being used as a bargaining tool,” said John Doyle, a foreign currency strategist at Monex Inc. in Washington. “We will look at that report now and wonder: Who are they going to flip on next if it’s politically convenient to get a deal done?”