Campbell noted that "if there's somebody that (GM Brad Holmes) knows that he feels good about and that I would, then he'll bring it (to me)," and he cited the countless hours of legwork Holmes and Assistant GM Ray Agnew put in evaluating potential trade targets. He also added that Holmes, "has brought up a couple of things already."

If there was something of an emerging consensus, it was that Trump has been willing to confront China on trade and economic issues — though through its effective weaponization of rare earth mineral supply chains,