This article analyzes the Trump's anti-China strategy during 2020, the year of the multidimensional crisis caused by covid-19 and the presidential elections where Biden won. Specifically, it seeks to understand to what extent the republican president made China the adversary of an emotional antagonistic discourse, considering Laclau and Mouffe's theory on populism and the empirical data collected to fulfill this purpose. So, the text states that Trump strategically antagonized groups of different kinds according to the political situation, and China was a key opponent in 2020, since there is a rivalry between both nations and old racist prejudices in the US. Thus, Trump wanted to increase the support of the conservative groups in the society, mainly white adults who live in relatively small cities. Additionally, the conflict with Trump strengthened Xi Jinping, by fueling patriotism in the politicized sectors of his country, in a sort of 'round the flag' rally effect. Keywords: populism, antagonism, political frontier, discourse, Donald Trump and China.Este artículo analiza la política anti-China de Trump durante 2020, año marcado por la crisis multidimensional provocada por la covid-19 y por las elecciones presidenciales donde se impuso Biden. Concretamente, se busca entender en qué medida el mandatario republicano hizo de China el contrario de un discurso antagonista emocionante, considerando la teoría sobre populismo de Laclau y Mouffe y los datos empíricos recogidos para cumplir con tal propósito. Así, el texto plantea que Trump antagonizó estratégicamente con grupos de diferente índole de acuerdo a la coyuntura política, y China fue un oponente clave en el 2020, ya que hay una rivalidad cada vez más clara entre ambas naciones y viejos prejuicios racistas en EE UU. De este modo, Trump quiso activar y mantener el respaldo de los sectores conservadores de la sociedad, principalmente de los adultos blancos que viven en las ciudades relativamente pequeñas, su voto duro. Adicionalmente, el conflicto comercial y verbal del año 2020 fortaleció en cierto grado al mandatario chino, Xi Jinping, al avivar el patriotismo en los sectores politizados de su país, en una suerte de efecto rally 'round the flag. Palabras Clave: populismo, antagonismo, frontera política, discurso, Donald Trump y China. ABSTRACT: This article analyzes the Trump's anti-China strategy during 2020, the year of the multidimensional crisis caused by covid-19 and the presidential elections where Biden won. Specifically, it seeks to understand to what extent the republican president made China the adversary of an emotional antagonistic discourse, considering Laclau and Mouffe's theory on populism and the empirical data collected to fulfill this purpose. So, the text states that Trump strategically antagonized groups of different kinds according to the political situation, and China was a key opponent in 2020, since there is a rivalry between both nations and old racist prejudices in the US. Thus, Trump wanted to increase the support of the conservative groups in the society, mainly white adults who live in relatively small cities. Additionally, the conflict with Trump strengthened Xi Jinping, by fueling patriotism in the politicized sectors of his country, in a sort of 'round the flag' rally effect. Keywords: populism, antagonism, political frontier, discourse, Donald Trump and China. Recibido: 31 de marzo de 2022; Aceptado: 08 de junio de 2022; Publicado: 09 de julio de 2022.