IRONY IS DEAD

White House Says Hong Kong’s Election Delay ‘Undermines’ Democracy—a Day After Trump Suggested Doing the Same

Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany criticized Hong Kong’s decision, just a day after Trump floated the idea of postponing the U.S. election.

Just a day after President Trump suggested—to the horror of pretty much everyone—that the November election should be postponed, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany criticized Hong Kong’s Chinese-backed government for doing just that. “We condemn the Hong Kong government’s decision to postpone for one year its legislative council elections and to disqualify opposition candidates,” she said Friday, while reading from a statement. “This action undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong’s prosperity.”

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the delay was required after a surge in coronavirus cases. However, pro-democracy activists have accused her of delaying the vote to avoid a humiliating defeat. Trump’s critics have similarly suggested that that he floated the idea of postponing the U.S. election to avoid a loss, rather than to prevent what he claimed would be mail-in voter fraud amid the pandemic.