Chinese officials appeared to be taking advantage of reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was rushed into a secure bunker as protests raged on near the White House, mocking the president on state media in response to his criticism over treatment of Hong Kong protesters.
As the Guardian reported, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman appeared to strike back at Trump for his criticism of China’s threat to crack down on Hong Kong, making reference to the unrest spreading across the United States after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Hua Chunying posted the words “I can’t breathe” on Twitter, along with a screenshot of Trump’s criticism of China and crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Other Chinese officials also took aim at Trump for what they saw as a double standard given the police crackdowns on protesters after Floyd’s death. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, seemed to mock Trump after reports that Secret Service officers rushed him and his family into a bunker normally used for terrorist attacks.
“Mr President, don’t go hide behind the secret service,” Hu wrote in a series of tweets, via the Guardian. “Go to talk to the demonstrators seriously. Negotiate with them, just like you urged Beijing to talk to Hong Kong rioters.”
Trump has been sharply criticized for his response to protests, which included a tweet calling violent protesters “thugs,” threatening to unleash the U.S. military, and appearing to authorize it to use deadly force on looters.
This led to even more criticism after reports that Trump was taken to an underground bunker on Friday as protesters came close to the White House. The New York Times reported that tensions were high inside the White House as protests in the nation’s capital grew increasingly violent, and despite his boisterous statements on social media, Trump was “rattled” by the unrest.
The report noted that Trump and family members were only briefly taken to the bunker, which is designed to be able to withstand a terrorist attack.
Trump has remained mostly quiet on the unrest, speaking out in a series of tweets and short statements to reporters but not yet addressing the nation. As The Inquisitr reported, there is mounting pressure from some within the White House on the president to make a national address, but he has yet to do so. He did make a short statement on Twitter on Sunday saying he planned to declare the loosely affiliated anti-fascist group Antifa as a terrorist organization.
