During a speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan Thursday, Attorney General Bill Barr went after Hollywood for capitulation to the Chinese Communist Party.
"The People’s Republic of China is now engaged in an economic blitzkrieg, an aggressive, orchestrated, whole-of-government, indeed, whole-of-society, campaign to seize the commanding heights of the global economy and to surpass the United States as the world’s preeminent superpower," Barr said.
"Hollywood actors, producers, and directors pride themselves on celebrating freedom and the human spirit. And every year at the Academy Awards, Americans are lectured about how this country falls short of Hollywood’s ideals of social justice. But Hollywood now regularly censors its own movies to appease the Chinese Communist Party, the world’s most powerful violator of human rights. This censorship infects not only versions of movies that are released in China, but also many that are shown in American theaters to American audiences," he continued. "Many Hollywood films that have been altered, one way or another, to conform to CCP propaganda."
Barr didn't stop at Hollywood and also warned of China's ambitions in technology and global trade domination.
"A centerpiece of this effort is the Communist Party’s 'Made in China 2025' initiative, a plan for PRC domination of high-tech industries like robotics, advanced information technology, aviation, and electric vehicles. Backed by hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, this initiative poses a real threat to U.S. technological leadership," Barr said.
In the aftermath of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has increased pressure on China. During an interview with Townhall earlier this week, President Trump said he will soon be making an announcement about further enticing American companies to manufacture products in the U.S. or friendlier countries.
"You'll see over the next few weeks I'm doing something that is extremely bold. You'll see. I think you'll be extremely impressed by it. I've been fighting this with China for a long time. You had the globalists, they want to make everything in China. We can make our pencils here," Trump said. "I'm very upset with China, I think what China did is a disgrace."
"Whether they knew it or not I won't get into that but one thing, they knew it well enough that it didn't get into the rest of China but it did get out to the rest of the world including Europe and the U.S. then they tried to blame it on Europe, then they tried to blame it on American soldiers, they did everything," Trump said. "It's the China virus, whether you like it or not, it's the China virus...I am very angry with China."