Biden Assails Trump In Commemoration of Tiananmen Square

Joe Biden commemorated the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on Wednesday by slamming Donald Trump’s posture toward China and authoritarianism, as he called out the president for “sowing hate and division in the United States.”

Biden’s statement calls for honoring the young people who were killed on June 4, 1989 protesting in Tiananmen Square by “recommitting to the universal struggle for human dignity.” The statement seeks to draw an explicit contrast with comments by Trump, who has called the demonstrations a “riot” while commending the Chinese government for showing strength in ending the protests.

“As president, he has echoed Chinese government propaganda in calling the demonstrations in Hong Kong ‘riots,’ praising Beijing for acting ‘very responsibly,’ and declaring he is ‘standing with President Xi,’ rather than the brave protesters,” Biden said in a statement, first shared with Bloomberg News. “And, here at home, he’s turning tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protesters for a photo op, using the language of authoritarians, and sowing hate and division in the United States.”