Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) dismissed complaints from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) about President Donald Trump’s focus on China for its part in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawley scoffed at Pelosi’s characterization of Trump’s rhetoric on the communist Chinese as a “diversion.”
“I would say if you think China is a diversion from the challenges that the United States faces, then you’re not living in reality,” Hawley said. “You need to come back to planet Earth. China is the single-greatest national security threat to this country. More than that, Martha — they’re the single-greatest economic threat. We’ve been losing jobs to China for years. We’ve been losing manufacturing to China for years. Now they’re building up their military, even as they unleash this pandemic on the world. We’ve got to change our relationship with China and the time to do it is right now.”
The Missouri Republican signaled things would be different regarding the United States’ relationship with China from this point forward.
“We’re just getting started in terms of standing up to them as a nation,” he added. “I can tell you — Beijing needs to understand that the free ride is over. The United States is back. We are going to protect ourselves and rebuild a better world for the 21st century.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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