Trump ‘not optimistic’ about securing Jimmy Lai’s release from CCP prison
President Donald Trump on Friday said he is “not optimistic” about securing the release of jailed Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, signaling dim prospects for one of the highest-profile human rights cases raised during his recent visit to China.
Speaking in an interview released Friday with Fox News host Bret Baier, Trump said he personally raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping but was met with resistance.
“I brought up Jimmy Lai, and I would say the response to that was not positive,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He’s gotten old, and he’s probably not feeling too well. It would be nice.’ And I did not feel optimistic. I’d have to be honest with you about that one.”
Trump said he discussed Lai’s detention alongside other religious and human rights cases, including a pastor imprisoned abroad, while touting his past success securing the release of Americans and foreign detainees.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of people out of different situations,” Trump said, referencing the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey during his first term. Trump contrasted his approach with that of former President Joe Biden, criticizing the use of prisoner exchanges involving financial concessions.
Lai, 78, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apply Daily, has become a symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following the city’s sweeping national security law imposed in 2020.
A British citizen, Lai has been held in solitary confinement for years while facing charges that include collusion with foreign forces under the security law. He has pleaded not guilty. Rights groups, Western governments, and press freedom advocates argue the case is politically motivated and reflects Beijing’s erosion of freedoms once guaranteed under Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” framework.
Trump had previously vowed on the campaign trail that he would seek Lai’s release if returned to office, calling the publisher a political prisoner.
Friday’s comments mark his second acknowledgment that Chinese officials may be unwilling to budge. He previously said the case is “a tough one.”
Trump also mentioned he had a discussion with Xi about the release of imprisoned Pastor Ezra Jin, who was arrested in October for leading an underground Zion church.
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