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This study aims to contribute with an understanding of why the US has started a trade war with China, despite the fact that it goes against the neoliberal logic usually guiding US political and economic policy. The two dominant theories in political and economic policy, neoliberalism and neorealism, does not seem to offer satisfying answers to this question. However, these theories are based on notions of logic and rationality, meaning that a state will always act in a way that is rational given an objective reality. This study challenges this view by assuming that states also have interests that can be perceived as irrational given an objective reality, but rational given a subjective reality which is based on emotions within the state body. Using theories on national identity and state emotion, the concept of identity political anxiety is theorized. Identity political anxiety is the emotions that summon within the state body when its place in the world is being challenged. The study builds on previous research on US-China relations, to analyze if the Rise of China can be perceived as to summon feelings of identity political anxiety within the US state body. Combining methods of qualitative text analysis and narrative analysis, this study examines the US narrative on the Rise of China on state level, namely by studying speeches from the President and Vice President, and reports by the US China Economic and Security Review Commission. The study found that the US state narrative is indicating that The US is feeling identity political anxiety as a result of the Rise of China, and that this could be one possible enabler for the US to start a trade war with China. The study shows how state emotions can be performative in a security and foreign policy context. While some decisions and acts can be perceived as irrational, they can actually feel as the rational thing to do for the state since states have immaterial and emotional interests outside of their material, instrumental ones.