President Trump on Tuesday said he “supports democracy” as people in Belarus take to the streets but said a specific message to the protesters or Russia, which may intervene, will come later.
“We are speaking to lots of people. We’ll be speaking at the appropriate time to Russia and we’ll be speaking to other people that are involved, but it’s certainly a very big march,” Mr. Trump said during a White House event on women’s suffrage.
He drew a contrast between the protests in Minsk and demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, and other U.S. cities, saying the ones abroad were more peaceful.
The protests are testing the 26-year reign of Aleksandr G. Lukashenko after he claimed victory in an Aug. 9 election that appeared tainted by fraud. Once-loyal factory workers told the strongman to “go away” this week, underscoring his loosening grip on the country.
“I like seeing democracy. Democracy is a very important word,” Mr. Trump said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s too much democracy there in Belarus.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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