Trump against boycotting Beijing Olympics in 2022

Former President Trump said that he does not agree with boycotting the Beijing Olympics in 2022 after activists have argued the U.S. should not participate in the games due to China’s reported human rights abuses. 

It would be “unfair to the athletes” to boycott the games, and countries around the world would see it as “sour grapes,” Trump told Real Clear Investigations in an interview published Thursday. 

“I see it both ways,” Trump said, “but I would not do that. … You go. You compete. You win.”

Trump’s remarks may come as a surprise to some considering the tense relationship the former president shared with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the country as a whole. 

During his tenure as president, Trump engaged in a trade war with China and repeatedly blamed the country for the coronavirus pandemic that is believed to have originated in Wuhan.

The former president also attacked President Biden during the 2020 campaign cycle over his son’s relationship with China and his work with Xi as vice president during the Obama administration. 

A coalition of human rights groups has called on countries to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics due to abuses the country has committed against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans and the people of Hong Kong.

“We call on all governments and people, including all National Olympic Committees and Olympic athletes, to boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games,” the coalition said. “The Chinese government is committing genocide against the Uyghur people and waging an unprecedented campaign of repression in East Turkistan, Tibet and Southern Mongolia, as well as an all-out assault on democracy in Hong Kong.”

Some U.S. lawmakers have suggested diplomatic boycotts and called on TV stations to not air the games due to human rights concerns. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested a diplomatic boycott of the games, saying the U.S. “cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong” about the Olympics going to China. 

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has called on NBC to refuse to air the Beijing Olympics due to human rights abuses. 

However, the U.S. Olympic committee has urged Congress not to pull athletes out of the games, saying it is “not the solution to geopolitical issues.”