Failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton continues to weigh in on issues of the day, including a tweet to “stand in solidarity” with protesters in Hong Kong opposed to the communist Chinese government.
May we all stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong as they speak out for democracy, freedom from repression, and a world they long to see.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 13, 2019
“May we all stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong as they speak out for democracy, freedom from repression, and a world they long to see,” Clinton wrote on Tuesday.
But Politico notes President Trump has “remained largely silent” as the Chinese fight oppression.
In the past week, President Donald Trump has described China’s trade practices as “an anchor on us,” saying Beijing is “killing us” and wants to “hurt” U.S. jobs.
Yet as Chinese officials increasingly hint at a potentially violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong, Trump has remained largely silent.
The bifurcated approach is just the latest example of what former U.S. officials and analysts say are Trump’s transactional approach to foreign policy and comfort with authoritarian rule. Even though the president’s own aides are sending a more forceful message on situations like the Hong Kong protests, they add, it’s a message that will inevitably get lost amid Trump’s comments — or lack thereof.
“Trump is telling [Chinese President] Xi Jinping very clearly: ‘Do whatever you want in Hong Kong. All I care about is a trade deal,’” argued Michael Fuchs, a former State Department official in the Obama administration. What Trump aides say means “nothing when the president is making his own position very clear again and again and again.”
Video shows protesters storming the Hong Kong airport and clashing with police forces:
https://twitter.com/akcay_nuri/status/1161304509068578817
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