Donald Trump says China will ‘own’ US if Joe Biden wins presidential election in November
- US president makes unscheduled appearance at Republican National Convention during nomination roll-call vote
- He also rails against Beijing’s accession to the World Trade Organisation during largely unscripted remarks
US President Donald Trump made an early appearance at the Republican National Convention on Monday to warn his supporters that Beijing would “own” the US under a Democratic administration, setting the stage for a week of sustained attacks against China from Republican Party speakers.
During an unscheduled appearance at the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said the US had “built China”, railed against Beijing’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and repeated an unfounded claim that his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, was in Beijing’s pocket because of his son’s previous business dealings in the country.
“China will own our country if this guy gets elected,” Trump said to jeers from the audience. “We can’t let it happen.”
Lara Trump, a senior campaign adviser and the president’s daughter-in-law, said over the weekend that the four-day convention would be a “hopeful and inspirational and patriotic” affair. But Trump’s tirade was decidedly negative.
02:30
Former Trump aide Steve Bannon charged with defrauding donors in online border wall fundraiser
In the 50-minute, largely unscripted address, Trump called mail-in voting the “greatest scam” in the history of world politics; said Democrats wanted a country with no religion, oil or guns; reiterated a conspiracy theory that the Obama administration spied on his 2016 campaign; and suggested Democratic governors implemented coronavirus lockdowns to hurt him politically.
