President Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year he would not condemn a Chinese government crackdown in Hong Kong, Politico reports. Before the G-20 Summit in June, Trump is said to have made the promise in a phone call—reportedly saying he understood any conflict with Hong Kong to be an “internal issue in which the U.S. would not interfere.” Since then, pro-democracy protests have rocked the city and have resulted in violent clashes. Various aides to the president—including national security adviser John Bolton, and officials in the National Security Council and the State Department—have reportedly pushed the president to take a more assertive stance on the protests. However, several White House officials told Politico Trump may have made the vow to President Xi in order to have him cooperate in trade negotiations.
