Trump doubts – After a Thursday meeting with President Xi Jinping, Donald Trump said Xi is giving “very serious consideration” to freeing imprisoned pastor Ezra Jin, but warned Jimmy Lai’s release is “a tougher one” and “would be a tough one.” The remarks undercut Trump’s 20
When President Donald Trump stepped off a plane departing China, he faced reporters with two names he had pressed for release—Ezra Jin and Jimmy Lai—and a new message about how hard the second one could be.
Trump said he raised both imprisoned men in talks with President Xi Jinping during another high-stakes round of discussions, alongside a group of top business figures including Elon Musk and Tim Cook.
But the president’s account of what Xi is willing to do did not match the certainty Trump projected about Lai months ago. Trump told reporters that Xi is considering Jin, while describing Lai’s case as significantly more difficult.
“I think he’s giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” Trump said of Pastor Ezra Jin.
When asked about Jimmy Lai, Trump said the situation was not progressing the same way. “I discussed Jimmy,” Trump said. “It’s a tougher one. I did bring it up. It’s a tough one. For him it’s a tougher one. He told me, and I don’t want to mislead anybody. He said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him.”
Trump added that Xi pointed to the activist’s history in custody: “Went through a lot, right or wrong, went through a lot. So he told me that would be a tough one. He said he’s going to strongly consider the pastor.”
The remarks mark a sharper turn from Trump’s 2024 campaign messaging, when he suggested Lai’s freedom would be straightforward.
Back in 2024, Trump claimed Lai’s release would be easy to achieve. In an interview clip later referenced by Christopher Hale of the “Letters from Leo” Substack, Trump said, “Hundred percent, yes,” when asked about his ability to free Lai. He later added that Lai would “be easy to get out.”
Jin and Lai have been imprisoned for years, but their cases reflect different parts of China’s crackdown on unregistered religious activity and political dissent.
Jin was arrested in October after Chinese authorities moved against an underground Protestant church. according to the reporting cited in the account.. Lai. a prominent pro-democracy voice in Hong Kong. was arrested in 2020 on fraud charges and allegations of colluding with foreign organizations.. After his bond was granted and revoked multiple times, he continued to face additional charges while incarcerated for pro-democracy efforts.
This past February, Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In China. Trump’s comments left Xi’s decision in limbo—especially for Lai—while suggesting that at least one prisoner’s fate may be nearer to resolution.. Trump’s insistence that Xi is “strongly consider[ing] the pastor” offered a brighter note for Ezra Jin. even as the president framed Jimmy Lai as a case he could not promise would move quickly.
For now, the question for Trump’s promise to push for releases is no longer whether he raised the names, but how much leverage the White House can convert into action—particularly in a case Trump once described as “easy to get out.”
United States politics Donald Trump Xi Jinping Ezra Jin Jimmy Lai Chinese prison Catholic activist Pastor Ezra Jin Hong Kong pro-democracy 2024 campaign promise prisoner release