House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday condemned President Trump for undermining the United States' moral authority after he told Axios in an interview that he delayed imposing sanctions against Chinese officials to facilitate a trade deal with Beijing.
Driving the news: Asked why he held off on imposing Treasury sanctions against Chinese officials involved with mass detention camps for Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, Trump told Axios: "Well, we were in the middle of a major trade deal."
- "And I made a great deal, $250 billion potentially worth of purchases. And by the way, they're buying a lot, you probably have seen."
- Trump continued: "And when you're in the middle of a negotiation and then all of a sudden you start throwing additional sanctions on — we've done a lot. I put tariffs on China, which are far worse than any sanction you can think of."
Why it matters: The U.S. could "lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights" if it doesn't address the atrocities in China, Pelosi wrote in a news release Monday.
- The comments came days after Trump signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
- But Pelosi argued that the action "rings extraordinarily hollow in light of his clearly stated lack of interest in standing up to Beijing.”
What she's saying:
Go deeper: Read more from Trump's interview with Axios
