The Chicago Council/NPR/Ipsos poll finds Americans broadly view China as a top rival or adversary, but the threat they register is economic, not military. That distinction matters enormously as Trump heads into Xi talks: it gives the White House domestic permission to frame tariff concessions as 'winning' even when they aren't. A public primed to fear trade deficits more than aircraft carriers is a public that can be sold a handshake photo as a strategic victory.