Trump accuses China of attempting to interfere with 2018 election
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that China has been trying to interfere in America’s midterm elections scheduled for November.
“Regrettably, we found that China is trying to interfere with our 2018 election,” Trump said as he presided over a United Nation’s Security Council meeting. “They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade.”
China Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi denied that Beijing interferes in other countries’ domestic issues and rejected “any unwarranted accusations.”
Asked later what evidence he had, Trump replied, “Plenty of evidence,” but he didn’t provide any.
This is not the first time Trump has charged that China has tried to influence the election. He recently tweeted, “China has openly stated that they are actively trying to impact and change our election by attacking our farmers, ranchers and industrial workers because of their loyalty to me.”
In a conference call, an administration official told reporters that the Chinese government covertly distributed propaganda and used intimidation to silence critics, think tanks, “journalists and religious leaders.” He added that Vice President Mike Pence will deliver a speech on the phenomenon next week.
News organizations have reported on Beijing’s decision to retaliate against U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods by targeting farm products and other goods produced by Trump’s voter base. Leaders of the European Union likewise targeted motorcycles and bourbon for retaliatory tariffs.
China recently paid for a four-page supplement in the Des Moines Register that warned readers that U.S. tariffs against Chinese goods will cost soybean and other farmers dearly. Trump tweeted about the supplement, produced by the China Daily, after his remarks.
After Trump called the 15-member Security Council to order, he berated the “horrible one-sided” Iranian nuclear deal reached in 2015 from which he withdrew the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, French Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Wang all called the accord imperfect as they chastised the United States for leaving the international pact.
At one point, Bolivian President Evo Morales condemned what he called American acts of aggression – “the illegal invasion of Iraq,” “illegally declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel,” separating migrant children from their parents at the border, as well as bombing Syrian military forces in retaliation for strongman Bashar al Assad’s use of chemical weapons.
Trump, who is known for his counterpunch, ignored the insults, simply said, “Thank you, Mr. President,” and moved on.
During a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump came out for a two-state solution to bring an end the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
“I like two-state solution,” Trump told reporters. “That’s what I think works best.”
Last year Trump said he could support a one-state deal, or a two-state deal. “I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two,” he said, adding that he’d go with whichever approach makes the Palestinians and Israelis happy.
Later, at a Wednesday press conference, Trump returned to his 2017 position, saying he could go with a one-state or two-state solution. “I think the two-state solution will happen,” he added.
Senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt have been working on a peace plan intended to deliver Trump’s dream “Deal of the Century” – an effort that stalled after Trump declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. embassy to the holy city.
Trump predicted Palestinian leaders would come back to the bargaining table “100 percent.” Trump also said he expected to see the Kushner-Greenblatt plan in “two to three to four months.”
“We’re delighted to see that,” responded Kenneth Bricker of the Israeli Project. “Most important will be the Palestinian reaction to it,” and whether Palestinian leaders will come to the table.
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.
There are five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
There are ten non-permanent members — Bolivia, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and Sweden.
