Trump Won't Say If He's Signing Hong Kong Bills
When asked on "Fox & Friends" Nov. 22 whether he intends to sign or veto two bills on Hong Kong (see 1911200036), President Donald Trump didn't directly answer, instead saying, “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi [Jinping], he’s a friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy, but we have to stand … I’d like to see them work it out, OK?"
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"I stand with Hong Kong, I stand with freedom. I stand with all of the things we want to do. But we’re also in the process of making the largest trade deal in history.”
One of the bills would bar exports to Hong Kong of rubber bullets, tear gas and other items used by the police to fight protesters. The other would require the State Department to certify in six months whether Hong Kong still deserves separate treatment in customs and export controls from China. That bill gives the administration the discretion to maintain the current regime, even if it determines that Hong Kong no longer has the autonomy it was promised.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted that a veto would make no difference. "President Xi & the Chinese Communist Party cannot silence the US Congress. In case they aren’t familiar with how our Constitution works, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed the House and Senate by overwhelming veto-proof majorities and it will become law."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded by issuing a statement: "Make no mistake: President Trump's words today do not reflect what the American people or the Congress think about President Xi's oppressive policies toward the people of Hong Kong. For a guy who promised to be tough on China, President Trump's reliable deference to President Xi is all the more bewildering."