Sat Oct 04 05:32:59 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the given text:
**Headline: Trump and Putin Trade “Paper Tiger” Insults, Reviving Cold War-Era Rhetoric**
**Washington – October 4, 2025** – A bizarre war of words has erupted between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the two leaders trading insults using the classic Chinese Communist propaganda term “paper tiger.”
The exchange began on September 23rd, when Trump, in a post on Truth Social, derided Russia’s military prowess, calling it a “paper tiger.” This prompted a sharp response from the Kremlin. Trump doubled down on the rhetoric during a September 30th address to military leaders, questioning Russia’s performance in the war with Ukraine.
Putin retaliated on October 2nd, claiming Russia was confidently advancing against the entire NATO bloc and challenging the alliance to “deal with this paper tiger then.”
The spat is drawing amusement and historical context, particularly given the phrase’s origins in Communist China. “As a Chinese historian I had to laugh at the irony when President Trump appropriated one of Chairman Mao’s favourite expressions in calling Russia a paper tiger,'” said John Delury, a senior fellow at Asia Society.
The term “paper tiger” (“zhilaohu” in Chinese) was popularized by Mao Zedong, who used it to describe the United States, portraying it as seemingly powerful but ultimately fragile. During the Korean War, it was used to describe US troops.
Experts note the irony of an American president using a phrase that was once a staple of Chinese propaganda, especially as U.S.-China relations have cooled in recent years. The revival of Cold War-era rhetoric is raising eyebrows and prompting reflection on the shifting dynamics of global power. “There’s a Cold War echo across this whole story,” said Rana Mitter, a British historian specialising in modern Chinese history.
First Piper 