GOP Sen. Tillis calls Trump-Xi state dinner a "WTF moment"
Retiring North Carolina Republican questions Trump's shift toward China and red-carpet treatment of Xi Jinping.
What to know
- Sen. Tillis, a retiring GOP senator, publicly questioned Trump's judgment in hosting a lavish state dinner for Chinese President Xi, calling it "bad timing" and a "WTF moment."
- Tillis cited concerns over China's human rights abuses against Uyghurs, espionage, alleged access to U.S. voter data, collaboration with Iran against U.S. forces, and the administration's freeze on Taiwan arms sales.
- Tillis highlighted Trump's reversal from campaign promises to go hard on China, questioning whether classified information explained the shift to emphasizing a "productive relationship" with Beijing.
“I just don't know what has changed. Whatever has changed had to have been at a confidential level, because I haven't…”
Sen. Thom Tillis, Retiring Republican senator · CBS News ↗ · Sep 23
Sen. Thom Tillis Retiring Republican senator (North Carolina)
President Trump U.S. President
Xi Jinping Chinese President
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
-
1
Tillis questions what prompted Trump's shift on China
Tillis pointed to Trump's campaign promise to go hard on China and questioned whether undisclosed information explained the reversal, saying "I just don't know what has changed. Whatever has changed had to have been at a confidential level."
“If we want to build a relationship, a productive relationship with Xi Jinping and China, we also have to hold him accountable for things that are just simply unacceptable.”
— Sen. Thom Tillis -
first by CBS News, 5d ago · also Axios
2 more headlines
- Sen. Thom Tillis calls Trump-Xi visit "a WTF moment" CBS News · 5d ago
- Tillis rips Trump's Xi meeting as a "WTF moment" Axios · 4d ago
-
A
Sen. Thom Tillis criticized President Trump's warm reception for Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "WTF moment."
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
-
J
"Speaking out when it is safe to do so is not integrity. It is opportunism."☑️ — Tillis Rips Trump's Xi Meeting as a "WTF Moment" @axios.com Tillis has repeatedly broken with Trump since deciding not to seek reelection, freeing him to emerge as an outspoken Republican critic of the president.
-
-
background
Tillis raises concerns about China's human rights, espionage, and Iran ties — Tillis cited China's Uyghur abuses, espionage capabilities, alleged access to U.S. voter data, and reports that Iran used Chinese intelligence to target U.S. military assets. He also questioned why the administration withheld an arms shipment to Taiwan.
-
background
Tillis criticizes Trump's reception of Xi as "bad timing" — In an interview with CBS Evening News, retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis questioned Trump's judgment, calling the red-carpet rollout for Xi a "WTF moment" and expressing worry about Trump spending more time with "despots" than democratic allies like Zelenskyy.
-
2
Trump hosts Xi at White House state dinner
President Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner at the White House, presenting it as a reset in U.S.-China relations after imposing heavy tariffs in his first term and negotiating a tariff truce in 2025.
