Tillis rips Trump's Xi meeting as a "WTF moment"

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) criticized President Trump's warm reception for Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning why Xi received a warmer welcome than some U.S. allies. Why it matters: Tillis has repeatedly broken with Trump since deciding not to seek reelection, freeing him to emerge as an outspoken Republican critic of the president. Driving the news: Tillis called Trump's red-carpet rollout for Xi a "WTF moment" in an interview with CBS News. Tillis said he was "worried about the trend of spending more time with despots and less time with democratic leaders of nations." "It's not that Xi Jinping is coming here to learn how to become a democratic, capitalist nation. Xi Jinping is trying to understand how his opposition will ultimately embrace their worldview," Tillis said. Between the lines: Tillis questioned what prompted the "sea change" he sees in Trump's posture toward China after years of pledging to take a hard line against Beijing. "I just don't know what has changed," he told CBS. He also deemed it "bad timing," citing China's human rights abuses, espionage capabilities and alleged access to U.S. voter data. Trump has separately alleged that China interfered in the 2020 election. "If we want to build a relationship, a productive relationship with Xi Jinping and China, we also have to hold him accountable for things that are just simply unacceptable," Tillis said. Zoom out: The visit came with other politically charged optics. One flashpoint came when Trump showed Xi the "Presidential Walk of Fame," including the autopen image displayed in place of former President Biden's portrait. It also happened amid Trump's fight with the media. Trump said China's state media was friendlier than the American press. Go deeper: Trump and Xi's summit revives panda diplomacy

Read it at Axios ↗

← Front page