Tillis rips Trump's Xi meeting as a "WTF moment"

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) expressed his disapproval of President Trump's warm welcome extended to Chinese President Xi Jinping, labeling it a " WTF moment." In an interview with CBS News, Tillis expressed his concern over the growing trend of spending more time with authoritarian leaders and less time with democratic leaders. He emphasized that Xi Jinping does not aim to learn how to become a democratic, capitalist nation; instead, he seeks to understand how opposition will eventually align with his worldview.

Tillis questioned the sudden shift in Trump's stance toward China, citing the president's previous hardline stance against Beijing. He also deemed it bad timing, taking into account China's human rights abuses, espionage capabilities, and alleged access to U.S. voter data. Tillis stressed that while building a relationship with Xi Jinping and China is desirable, it should be coupled with holding him accountable for unacceptable actions.

The visit was marked by other politically charged optics, such as Trump showing Xi the Presidential Walk of Fame, which included the autopen image in place of former President Biden's portrait. This took place amid Trump's ongoing conflict with the media, who claimed China's state media was friendlier than American press.