Glenn Youngkin’s all about bashing China *now*, but that most certainly was NOT the case as recently as the summer of 2020, just a few months before he launched his political career, when he was a HUGE booster of China at the Carlyle Group, where he was a top executive for years. See below for just a few examples of how Youngkin touted the prospects for China’s economy, invested heavily in China, even praised its government, for YEARS while he was at the Carlyle Group.
Yet now, Youngkin’s turned sharply against China (at least rhetorically; note that there are still many big companies in Virginia with big investments in China, and that even the Counselor to Governor Youngkin is from one of those companies), despite the fact that China’s government is essentially the same today as it was in 2019, 2020, and for the many years Youngkin was at the Carlyle Group investing billions of dollars in that country.
So…what changed, other than the fact that Youngkin’s trying to appeal to the right-wing “base” and to compete with Trump, DeSantis, etc? And seriously, how does someone go from rah-rah/gung-ho about something for decades, then turn on a dime to “they are evil incarnate,” essentially? Does this guy have any core principles, other than advancing his own financial and political prospects?!?
Glenn Youngkin from April 2019 on China:
“We are long-term bullish on China, we think there will be a trade deal…we have had a very strong investment in China, we’ll do more.” (note: China‘s regime was just as bad in 2019 as it is today, yet Youngkin LOVED it then)
- “I think we all forget that while we’re sitting in shelter-in-place, all of our Chinese colleagues were doing this back in January, and so that gave us a chance as a firm to really begin to prepare and I think it gave us a little bit of a head start.“
- “China has got a unique system and therefore their ability I think to uniformly manage things was incredibly helpful. But we’ve seen capacity in restaurants, capacity in port operations, pick way back up to the point where it’s not quite where it was pre COVID-19 but it really is from a capacity standpoint pretty darn close. I think the big observation has been certain parts of the Chinese economy have rebounded well and other parts have been sticky slow and that’s understandable”…
In sum, Youngkin – who now is bashing China – spent many years praising that country’s system and investing billions of dollars there. Now, a major donor to Youngkin is Smithfield Foods, which in 2013 by Hong Kong-based WH Group. https://t.co/cyhxdQKxx7 h/t @ShawnWeneta pic.twitter.com/u6cRdFLolG
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) March 3, 2023
Just remember, for MANY years (until he started running for president) Youngkin praised and aided Communist China’s government in cracking down on pro-democracy protestors, invested BILLIONS of $$$ there, etc. What changed? https://t.co/YCXzfRLM4E h/t @lizchar pic.twitter.com/s57udDiCWV
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) March 2, 2023
So says @GovernorVa, who – as co-CEO of @OneCarlyle – was bullish on China, making millions for the firm and himself.
Among Chinese acquisitions on his watch: the tech firm that owns @tiktok_us, which Youngkin banned from #Va-owned phones. https://t.co/LLoli9V4WG
— Jeff E. Schapiro (@RTDSchapiro) March 2, 2023
Glenn Youngkin on China in 2020 and for many years before that vs. now. What changed? (by the way, @SquawkBoxCNBC and other journalists are allowed to ask him this question, but for whatever reason, they don’t do so) https://t.co/QAg4eNur0r pic.twitter.com/QYpDapJEvc
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) March 1, 2023
Youngkin likes to bash China now, but over many years he “oversaw investments of at least $8 billion in Chinese companies while at Carlyle”; also in 2020 praised China’s “unique system,” calling it “incredibly helpful” https://t.co/oCx0QZSuEs h/t @dutchessprim pic.twitter.com/Q2aweDW9ZI
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) February 28, 2023
Youngkin back on his “safe space” (Fox “News”) this morning ranting about China, when as late as summer 2020 he was heavily investing in China & praising the CCP’s “unique system & therefore their ability I think to uniformly manage things.” What changed? https://t.co/PQrHqmC7Pb pic.twitter.com/FhhnMHWkbS
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) February 26, 2023
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