If Washington politics is likened to a game of high-stakes poker, then President Donald Trump just called the House Democrats’ bluff and then raised the ante. At a press conference Thursday, Trump was asked what Ukraine should do regarding Hunter Biden’s business dealings. He answered, “I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens.” But Trump didn’t stop there, adding, “Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens.”

This is reminiscent of 2016 when Trump, referencing Hillary Clinton’s conveniently “lost” emails, joked, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think that you’ll probably be rewarded mightily by our press.” Now, as then, Democrats and the Leftmedia cried foul, alleging that Trump is openly engaging in election meddling.

Clearly, from Trump’s perspective, if Democrats are free to engage foreign nationals to dig up dirt on him, then he’s free to publicly call on foreign countries to investigate those efforts. Furthermore, Trump’s questions regarding Joe and Hunter Biden are not merely politically expedient, as much of the Leftmedia asserts. There are serious questions as to whether Joe Biden used his position as vice president to benefit his son financially. By calling on China to investigate Biden, Trump has effectively expanded the air of suspicion surrounding Biden, communicating over the heads of the media to the wider American public that something stinks.

Trump also knows that Biden is his most significant political rival, and by publicly pressing the question of Biden’s potentially corrupt behavior, Trump forces both the mainstream media, which has largely ignored the story, and Biden to at the very least address it. So every time Democrats and the MSM raise questions over Ukraine, Trump will ask about Biden. As political strategies go, it’s pretty brilliant, as it puts Biden continually on the defensive.

While many conservatives have questioned why Trump would dare raise the specter of election meddling following the whole Russia-collusion fiasco, they seem to have missed the fact that irrespective of anything Trump says or does, Democrats and their Leftmedia cohorts will condemn him as they press on in their crusade to see him impeached. Trump knows there’s no level playing field in Washington, so why should he act as if there is one?