Today Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13) was joined by leaders from key battleground states to highlight Donald Trump’s broken promises on China, especially as it relates to his slow and ineffective coronavirus response and his erratic trade policies. Joining the call with Rep. Ryan was Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes and Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden.

Earlier this month, the DNC War Room released a memo outlining how Trump’s coronavirus response began by repeatedly praising China as transparent and effective in combating the spread of the virus. Now facing the devastating reality of the pandemic, Trump and Republicans are desperately trying to shift blame to the Chinese government to distract from Trump’s failed coronavirus response. Meanwhile, his erratic trade policies weakened the American economy and left us vulnerable to the type of economic downturn we are currently experiencing, with farmers and workers nationwide left stranded.

Quote from Rep. Tim Ryan: “I’ve been in Congress for 18 years, I represent a district that is in Northeast Ohio…and what we have seen really in the past couple of years, in my estimation, is the weakest president on China. As I said, I’ve been here for 18 years and have been watching this president operate, and he has done nothing but damage to our ability to beat China economically… Many people where we come from voted for this president because he was going to keep an eye on China, he was going to be tough on China, he was gonna discipline China, and here he is kowtowing to them instead of protecting the American people… This is another example where the president put his own personal political interests in front of  the interests of the United States… I believe that this president is clueless about what it takes to rebuild the economy in the United States and what it takes to actually take on China in a comprehensive way.”

Quote from Lavora Barnes: “Despite years of this president’s bluster and tough talk, Trump has been rolled over and over again by China. We’ve been given empty words from a president who has shown nothing but weakness and done nothing but concede… We need a president who makes Michigan’s working families the priority before his own financial interests and his political gain. We need a president who will stand up for our country on the international stage instead of rolling over under the slightest pressure.”

Quote from Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden: “I also own a 50-cow organic dairy farm in western Wisconsin. Over the years, I’ve lived through different presidents and seen many different things. With what President Trump has done with the tariffs and trade wars has really decimated family farm agriculture across the United States.”