Donald Trump’s Praise of Jimmy Lai as a ‘Brave Man’ Becomes Evidence of Lai’s Offense

Jimmy Lai (C), founder of Next Media Group, was charged by the Hong Kong police with crimes such as "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and "conspiracy to publish seditious materials" under the Hong Kong National Security Law, on Aug. 12, 2020. He was released on bail after about 40 hours of detention and received an astounding ovation from the crowd on his way out of the police station. A week later, then-U.S. President Donald Trump praised him as a "brave man" in his answer to reporters. Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times

The trial of Hong Kong Tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai reached day 32 on, Feb. 26. The prosecutor presented to the court one item published in August 2020 by the now-defunct Apple Daily, which mentions that former U.S. President Donald Trump praised Jimmy Lai as a “Brave Man,” as evidence for Lai’s prosecution.

The case of Mr. Lai and Apple Daily, charged with “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and “conspiracy to publish seditious materials” under the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), was held at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Feb. 26.

The prosecution’s second witness, the former Apple Daily Executive, Chan Pui-man, also under charges, testified in court.

Until now, Mr. Lai, and Ms. Chan, who had been detained for more than three years and two and a half years, respectively, were escorted to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts Building in prison vans. The courthouse was heavily guarded by armed anti-terrorism officers at the entrance, and there were around a hundred police officers inside and outside the courtroom, indicating high-security measures.

Ivan Cheung Kwok-keung, the lead prosecutor, presented to the court articles and tweets published by Apple Daily since August 2020. The content includes Donald Trump calling Jimmy Lai a “brave man.”

The prosecutor’s statement also emphasized that one Chinese article published by “Apple Daily” on Aug. 21, 2020, wrote, “Jimmy Lai thanked Mr. Trump on Twitter, saying that ‘Hong Kong can’t be successful without freedom and it can’t be the international financial center it once was.’”

Why Trump Praised Lai

On Aug. 10, 2020, Mr. Lai was detained on suspicion of contravening the NSL promulgated in Hong Kong by Beijing in June 2020. Nearly 40 hours later, he was released and returned to the office building, where he was greeted by employees holding flowers. He took the chance to encourage his employees to persevere.

On Aug 19, 2020, then-U.S. President Donald Trump praised Jimmy Lai at a White House press conference, saying, “I hear he’s a wonderful gentleman, he’s certainly a brave man, and I sent him best wishes....”

Mr. Trump added, “With that being said, because of that and obviously what happened in Hong Kong, we have taken all of the vast amounts of money we used to subsidize Hong Kong. We essentially subsidized Hong Kong by giving them all sorts of incentives. That’s what made Hong Kong Exchange and businesses in Hong Kong successful. That means that the United States is going to do a lot more business. We really gave them tremendous incentives and subsidies in order that they be successful in freedom.  But now that freedom obviously seems to have been taken away. … But I feel badly for him [Jimmy Lai], because I hear he’s a good person. ... Obviously a very brave person.”

Mr. Lai expressed his gratitude to President Trump and wrote, “Thank you, Mr @realDonaldTrump. #HK can’t be successful without freedom, and it can’t be the international financial center it once was. It is very sad. https://t.co/ky6KNGTnkM — Jimmy Lai (@JimmyLaiApple) August 19, 2020”

Agree With Jimmy Lai’s Basic Values of Freedom and Democracy

During Monday’s court hearing, the prosecution still focused on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Lai’s arrest and release between August 2020 and his remand in December of the same year.

During the trial, Ms. Chan, former Associate Publisher of Apple Daily who had pleaded guilty earlier, said that she had visited Mr. Lai in prison. Mr. Lai did not mention changing the direction of Apple Daily’s reporting. She confirmed that she continued to work in accordance with Jimmy Lai’s views and ideas.

When asked whether Mr. Lai used electronic means such as Signal, WhatsApp, Slack, and emails to change the way in Apple Daily’s reporting during his bail period, she answered “No.”

When the prosecution asked whether she agreed with Jimmy Lai’s political stance, Ms. Chan said that if it was “on a macroscopic scale” or some basic values, such as democracy and freedom, she would agree. Still, when it came to specific methods and approaches, it would not necessarily be the case that she always agreed with all his viewpoints.

Pre-trial Detention, NSL Overriding Common Law

Mr. Lai has been detained for more than three years since his bail was revoked in December 2020. The case was eventually heard starting Dec. 18, 2023. This practice of pre-trial detention confirms that the NSL implemented by Beijing in Hong Kong overrides the “common law” that has long been practiced in Hong Kong.

Mr. Lai actively supports the democratic movement in Hong Kong. During the public rallies such as the opposition to Article 23 legislation in 2003, the Umbrella Movement in 2014, the Anti-extradition Movement in 2019, as well as commemorations of the June 4th Tiananmen protest in Beijing and various Hong Kong protests, the publications under Next Media Group strongly supported the pro-democracy camp. Mr. Lai himself also participated in many protest activities during those times.

Although Mr. Lai’s anti-communist stance had been crystal clear, he also realized this position might bring trouble for the newspaper. According to a former Apple Daily employee, the company believed that things such as reporting on the CCP’s “organ harvesting” was “too sensitive.” Therefore, it was made clear that the paper would not report it.