As Chinese leaders in Beijing marked the 70th anniversary of power for that country's Communist regime with a grand military parade, President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers in Congress were clearly on different foreign policy pages on Tuesday about that event.
"Congratulations to President Xi and the Chinese people on the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China!" the President tweeted early on Tuesday morning.
Mr. Trump's tweet came amid an ongoing trade standoff between the two geopolitical giants, as the President has threatened to slap higher and higher import duties on goods produced in China, a move which has rattled stock markets around the globe.
While President Trump sent his birthday wishes to Beijing, a number of GOP lawmakers did the exact opposite.
"I will pass," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).
"The People’s Republic of China is a repressive regime with a terrible human rights record," said Rep. Rich Hudson (R-NC), as he criticized China's treatment of protesters in Hong Kong.
"This is not a day for celebration," said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
"We need to wake up," said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). "The Chinese threat to the United States and freedom is real."
"The Butchers of Beijing celebrate 70 years of communist tyranny by shooting a student marching for freedom in Hong Kong," tweeted Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
"Today Chinese tyrants celebrated 70 years of communist oppression with their typically brutal symbolism: by sending a police officer to shoot a pro-democracy protester at point-blank range," said Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE).
Democrats also indicated their displeasure.
"The president wants us to believe he’s running against “socialism.” But he sure seems to admire communism," said Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).
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