WATCH: Trump compares imprisonment of Jimmy Lai to James Comey, but says he’ll bring it up to Xi
PBS NewsHour – Politics — 2026-05-11 14:44:00 — www.pbs.org
President Donald Trump likened Jimmy Lai to former FBI director James Comey on Monday as he plans to discuss the case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Watch the clip in the video player above.
The U.S. president said he’ll bring up the Lai’s plight in China this week, but he compared the pro-democracy activist to one of his most detested foes.
WATCH: ‘He has suffered enough,’ Jimmy Lai’s daughter says after his conviction in Hong Kong
“Jimmy Lai, you know, he caused a lot of bedlam,” Trump told reporters Monday. “It’s like saying to me, ‘if Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ That might be a hard one for me.”
Trump fired Comey in 2017 over his handling of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The Justice Department is now prosecuting Comey on charges of making threats against the president. Its first indictment of Comey was dismissed.
“Jimmy Lai, he caused lots of turmoil in China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful, went to jail, and people would like him out,” Trump said. “And I’d like to see him get out too.”
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President Donald Trump recently drew a controversial parallel between pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai and former FBI director James Comey, as he prepares to discuss Lai’s situation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In remarks made to reporters, Trump stated, “Jimmy Lai, you know, he caused a lot of bedlam,” likening the activist’s plight to that of Comey, a figure he has long criticized. This comparison raises significant questions about Trump’s framing of Lai’s struggle for democracy in Hong Kong, especially given the context of his own contentious history with Comey.
Trump’s comments come in the wake of Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong, where he has been imprisoned for his activism. While Trump expressed a desire to see Lai released, his comparison to Comey—a figure he has publicly disparaged—casts a shadow over the sincerity of his support. This juxtaposition not only trivializes Lai’s fight for freedom but also reflects Trump’s tendency to frame political discourse in terms of personal grievances rather than substantive issues.
How this sits against verifiable accuracy
Trump’s assertion that Jimmy Lai “caused a lot of bedlam” in China implies a direct connection between Lai’s activism and unrest in the region. To substantiate such claims, one would typically require evidence linking Lai’s actions to specific incidents of turmoil, ideally from credible sources or official reports. However, the excerpt does not provide any external verification or context to support Trump’s characterization of Lai’s impact. Instead, it presents a narrative that lacks the necessary factual grounding to be considered well-supported.
Moreover, the excerpt does not include any corrections or denials regarding Trump’s statements, leaving readers without a clear understanding of the broader implications of Lai’s activism or the accuracy of Trump’s claims. Without additional context or evidence, the assertions made by Trump remain unverified and potentially misleading.
What the excerpt shows about verifiable lies
The excerpt does not present any statements from Trump that are explicitly false or retracted. However, it does highlight the problematic nature of his comparison between Jimmy Lai and James Comey, suggesting a lack of nuance in understanding the political realities faced by Lai. The absence of supporting evidence for Trump’s claims about Lai’s role in causing turmoil indicates that readers would need further information to assess the veracity of his statements fully.
Additionally, while Trump did not directly insult or demean Lai, his framing of the activist’s situation through the lens of his animosity toward Comey raises concerns about the seriousness with which he approaches the issue of human rights in China. This rhetorical choice could be seen as diminishing the gravity of Lai’s plight.
In conclusion, Trump’s remarks about Jimmy Lai, while expressing a desire for his release, are overshadowed by a troubling comparison to Comey that lacks factual support. Readers should be cautious about accepting such statements at face value, as they reflect a broader pattern of political rhetoric that prioritizes personal vendettas over substantive discourse on critical issues like democracy and human rights. The excerpt leaves many questions unanswered, particularly regarding the implications of Lai’s activism and the accuracy of Trump’s claims.