CNBC's senior economics reporter Steve Liesman has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff strategy on China, calling it a self-inflicted setback in trade negotiations. Likening the situation to a thief demanding negotiations after stealing a wallet and necklace, Liesman suggests China holds the upper hand, insisting the U.S. drop what he calls fabricated tariffs before meaningful talks can begin. He claims Trump's tariffs, allegedly based on a formula devised by Peter Navarro, were misrepresented as matching China's tariffs, laying a shaky foundation for diplomacy.