Trump Says China 'Laughs' at the U.S. Because of Fixation on 'Woke' Culture

Former President Donald Trump said Monday that China is "laughing" at the United States over its so-called "woke" movement, blasting efforts to remove Confederate statues and increase green energy.

Trump told Fox News on Monday that while the Chinese are building factories and "trying to kill us," Americans and "woke" culture critics are too busy complaining about identity politics and the environment.

The former president's comments came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top official Yang Jiechi mocked the U.S. this past Thursday, during a summit with Secretary of State Tony Blinken in Alaska. The two Chinese diplomats repeatedly criticized American culture and democracy, and rejected the notion that the U.S. is operating from a "position of strength."

Trump's call into Fox News on Monday morning was primarily used to blast President Joe Biden for having "no transparency" and being unable to handle a rising crisis at the U.S. southern border. Trump reiterated much of his 2020 campaign rhetoric, which sought to tie Biden to the "radical left" and a liberal "woke" movement. The former president also seized on recent U.S. "cancel culture" debates, which have seen Americans politicizing the gender of Mr. Potato Head and expressing anger that Dr. Seuss' family estate decide to discontinue the publishing of a few books they deemed racist and out-of-touch.

"When China looks at 'woke,' they see the biggest problem we have is Dr. Seuss," Trump told Fox News' Harris Faulkner on Monday, adding mockery of the Green New Deal "nonsense."

Trump concludes his Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner with a rant about Dr. Seuss, because of course pic.twitter.com/7E1CxZaTWq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 22, 2021

"In the meantime, they're building factories and trying to kill us in so many different ways, they laugh at us, they think we're so, frankly, they think we're stupid, taking down the statues to great heroes and so many other things."

During the Alaska summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented on cultural unrest within the U.S., saying, "Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States."

Yang Jiechi referenced the Black Lives Matter movement as evidence that America has massive moral and human rights problems.

This story is developing, please check back with Newsweek shortly for additional information.

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Republican Senator and financial services chair John Kennedy said Sunday he is drafting legislation to prohibit American companies from "giving in" to Chinese government rules on doing business. KEVIN FRAYER / Stringer/Getty Images