U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to intervene in the case of Jimmy Lai, the British-Hong Kong media tycoon on trial under Hong Kong’s national security laws, telling The Times UK and other outlets that he would “do everything” to help the 77-year-old as his health deteriorates in solitary confinement.
Speaking to Fox News Radio, Trump said he had already raised Lai’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping and was prepared to do so again, even though Xi would “not exactly be thrilled.” The comments came as closing arguments were set to begin in the landmark trial, only to be delayed by a typhoon.
Lai, founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has been in detention since 2020 on charges of “colluding with foreign forces” and “seditious publication.” He has spent over four years in solitary confinement — something Hong Kong authorities insist is at his own request, a claim his family disputes. His son Sebastian, speaking from abroad, has warned that Lai’s heart condition means “time is running out.”
Born in mainland China and once one of Hong Kong’s most flamboyant entrepreneurs, Lai built an Asia-wide retail empire before turning to journalism. His paper became a fierce critic of Beijing, especially during the 2019 protests against security and extradition laws. Arrested soon after the legislation was imposed, Lai has since endured one of the most closely watched political trials in Hong Kong’s history.
The case is seen as a key test of the territory’s sweeping national security regime, which allows for life sentences for acts deemed to promote “secession,” “sedition,” or other challenges to Communist Party rule. International human rights groups have condemned the proceedings, which are being heard by a panel of judges that includes figures from Britain’s legal community.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have both raised Lai’s case directly with Chinese officials. Trump, who has generally prioritized trade disputes over human rights advocacy in dealings with Beijing, has met Sebastian Lai and described his father as a “good guy.”
The issue has divided Trump’s “Make America Great Again” circle, with some advisers favoring a less confrontational China policy and others urging a hard line. While some high-profile allies have taken up the cause of Chinese dissidents — occasionally with controversial results — Lai’s political integrity is broadly respected across party lines.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet later this year, though a date has not been confirmed. Beijing had invited Trump to September’s commemorations of the end of World War II, but that visit now appears increasingly unlikely.
