Trump: China 'Will Do Anything' to Spoil My Reelection

President also doesn't believe polls giving Biden the edge
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 30, 2020 7:20 AM CDT
Trump: China Pushing for Biden to Win Election
In this June 29, 2019, file photo, President Trump poses for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

President Trump's reelection bid is shakier than it was at the end of 2019, thanks to the coronavirus and an upended economy—and he's now pointing the finger at China for that. Trump, who has been vocal in blaming China for the spread of the virus by not alerting the world about it soon enough, told Reuters Wednesday that Beijing is gunning for him and "will do anything they can" to stop him from winning in November. His reasoning? He says Joe Biden would go easier on China, especially regarding trade issues, and China knows it. Trump says his trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping has been "upset very badly" by the pandemic, and that he's mulling over how to handle the situation. "There are many things I can do," he said regarding what he believes was China's role in the pandemic. "I can do a lot."

China is scoffing at Trump's theories, saying it has "no interest" in getting involved in the US election, per its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "For some time, certain US politicians, in disregard of the facts, have attempted to shift their own responsibility for their poor handling of the epidemic to others," a ministry spokesman said Thursday, per Bloomberg. The BBC notes this week has also brought a report that Trump blew up at campaign advisers on Friday after internal polling showed his rival winning key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. "I don't believe the polls," the president said in Wednesday's interview. "I believe the people of this country are smart. And I don't think that they will put a man in who's incompetent." (China is apparently going to be a central topic in election ads.)

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