Trump announces new executive order on trade with Hong Kong
President Trump announced Tuesday that he had signed legislation sanctioning China for suppressing freedoms in Hong Kong, as well as an executive order ending U.S. preferential treatment for Hong Kong.
Mr. Trump said "we just lost a competitor" that "we incentivized to do a lot of business," referring to Hong Kong. He said that Hong Kong would now be "treated the same as mainland China."
"No administration has been tougher on China than this administration," Mr. Trump said. He also slammed former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, saying Biden's "entire career has been a gift to the Chinese Communist Party."
Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Trump told CBS News' Catherine Herridge that he is "not interested" in talking to China.
"I've always had a tough stance," Mr. Trump said. "Look, we made a great trade deal — was done, the ink wasn't even dry, and they hit us with the plague. So right now, I'm not interested in talking to China about another deal. I'm interested in doing other things with China."
Mr. Trump said during his announcement Tuesday that "we hold China fully responsible for concealing the virus and unleashing it upon the world." He also reiterated that he has "no plan" to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping in the near future.
The press conference comes as coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., with nearly 3.4 million confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. It's the highest number of cases of any country in the world.
Dr. Lilian Abbo, an infectious diseases specialist from the University of Miami Health System, called Miami the new "epicenter of the pandemic" during a news conference with Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Monday. "Where Wuhan was months ago, that's where we are, and we really need your help," Abbo said.
Statewide, Florida set a new record for deaths, with 132 deaths reported on Tuesday, a 10% jump over the previous state record set on July 9. There were 9,270 new cases reported on Tuesday, a dip from the record high of over 15,000 on Sunday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has remained one of Mr. Trump's staunchest allies, and Mr. Trump is so far still set to accept the Republican nomination in Jacksonville in August.
A CBS News Battleground Tracker poll released Sunday showed the coronavirus pandemic has shaped Mr. Trump's falling support in Florida and other swing states. The poll shows Joe Biden is now leading Mr. Trump by 6 points in Florida, and the two are tied in Arizona and competitive in Texas, where Biden is down by just 1 point to Mr. Trump. Biden has made gains in part because most say their state's efforts to contain the virus are going badly — and the more concerned voters are about risks from the outbreak, the more likely they are to support Biden, according to the CBS News Battleground Tracker.
