Trump 'couldn't care less' about China's Uighur maltreatment, multiple officials confirm


One of the most troubling accounts in former National Security Adviser John Bolton's forthcoming White House memoir, The Room Where It Happened, is his recollection of a 2018 meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi "explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang" for Uighur Muslims, Bolton recounts. "According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do." In an earlier, pre-redaction draft seen by Vanity Fair, Trump's words were reportedly: "Go ahead, you're doing exactly the right thing."
Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that it's "not true" he effectively gave his blessing to Xi on the Uighur camps, noting he signed Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, passed May 27 with overwhelming bipartisan support, on Wednesday, shortly Bolton's allegation was reported. "I could have fought it," Trump said. "And I would have won. But I didn't fight that deal." A National Security Council spokesman told The Daily Beast it's "preposterous" to claim Trump didn't challenge Beijing on its Uighur mass imprisonment, torture, harsh cultural and religious "re-education," and extensive surveillance.
In fact, "Trump has exhibited a callous indifference" when briefed on the "crimes against humanity and cultural genocide taking place in China's western Xinjiang province," The Daily Beast reports, citing nine current and former senior administration officials.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"He couldn't give a s--t," one former senior Trump administration official with first-hand knowledge told The Daily Beast. "There has never been any indication when the issue comes up that the president cares or is even making any effort to fake it." When the issue has been raised at various points in his presidency, three officials added, "the president has often quickly changed the subject. Sometimes, he will add an 'Oh, wow' or an 'Oh, really?' in response to a horrific data point or piece of related information, before moving on."
There is grave concern about the Uighur maltreatment among "the China folks" in his White House, a former GOP national security official told The Daily Beast. But "it was clear to most based off my conversations with the national security team that the president couldn't care less."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants