As he seeks to punish China, Trump faces criticism at home over his own attacks on democratic values

The setting was the Rose Garden. The topic was China. And for President Trump, the goal of the White House event Friday was to condemn the communist nation as a threat to democratic ideals while casting himself as a defender of such values.

Yet Trump’s bid to amplify his election year criticism of Beijing’s authoritarian conduct was upended even before his remarks began — drowned out by a domestic political uproar over his own positions on free expression and government transparency.

Read the full article and more in The Washington Post.