President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he “had a great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to the coronavirus pandemic, which Trump has repeatedly blamed China for allowing to spread.
"I had a great relationship with President Xi,” Trump told Fox Sports Radio’s Clay Travis. "I like him. But I don’t feel the same way now."
"I didn’t like what took place," he added, in reference to the pandemic. "This is not trade. This is a thousand times the trade deal, what happened with all of the death and all of the world — the world had to shut down. It’s a disgrace what happened."
Trump said that he “had a very good relationship” with Xi before the pandemic, but said, “I certainly feel differently now.”
Last week, the head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center reported that China, along with Russia and Iran, is one of the top foreign threats to the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
"Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues," said NCSC Director William Evanina, according to The Hill. "Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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