Trump Says He Feels ‘Badly’ About Jimmy Lai After Guilty Verdict

President Donald Trump said he felt “badly” about Jimmy Lai’s conviction in a Hong Kong trial and that he had previously asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to consider releasing the former media mogul.

“I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters Monday during an event at the White House.

“He’s not well. He’s an older man, and he’s not well,” Trump added. “So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.”

Trump did not detail when he had that conversation with Xi, but has previously said he raised Lai’s case with his Chinese counterpart when the leaders met face-to-face in South Korea in late October. The two presidents also held a subsequent call in November to discuss trade matters and Taiwan.

Lai, 78, was found guilty on Monday on all charges in a landmark national security trial that has come to symbolize Xi’s resolve to stamp out political dissent in Hong Kong. 

The former publisher, who created the now-defunct Apple Daily, could face life in prison after his conviction for conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious materials under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing. Lai and his media outlet were prominent voices for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and sharply critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

The guilty verdict threatens to inflame tensions between Beijing and Washington as the world’s two largest economies are trying to implement a fragile trade truce. Trump, whose name appeared nearly 200 times in the 856-page judgment, has repeatedly pledged to intervene in the case, saying previously that he would “do everything I can” to free Lai. 

The ruling followed a marathon trial that started two years ago and spanned more than 150 days. International condemnation was swift. Lai’s health has deteriorated significantly in prison, with severe weight loss and failing hearing and vision, according to his family.