Photo: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. (December 31, 2020)
Claire Lai, daughter of the imprisoned Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, will attend the 2026 State of the Union address by U.S. President Donald Trump, invited by the Speaker of the House and other lawmakers on Tuesday (February 24) at the Capitol.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated on Tuesday that he, along with Republican Congressman Chris Smith, extended the invitation to Claire. Johnson emphasized that Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned simply for defending free speech and openly opposing the repressive rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
Smith, who co-chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), also disclosed his request for Claire to attend the State of the Union in a press release on his Congressional website. He said, “My wife Marie gave Claire the tickets because we are inspired by her brave and resilient actions to fight for her father—Hong Kong’s freedom of speech and religious freedom hero, Jimmy Lai.”
On February 9, Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Hong Kong High Court on charges related to the National Security Law, including ‘colluding with foreign forces’. On that same day, CECC Chairman and Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Congressman Smith released a joint statement criticizing the verdict against Jimmy Lai, describing it as another step in Beijing’s repression of independent journalism and peaceful dissent in Hong Kong. They declared, “This is not justice; it is weaponization of the courts to punish speech and intimidate society.”
In his press release, Congressman Smith praised Claire and Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, for their efforts to rescue their father. He said, “(They) have consistently called for Xi Jinping to release their father, and their performance has been outstanding. They love and respect their father, which motivates us all to take action, including the numerous mentions of Jimmy Lai’s unjust imprisonment by President Trump.”
U.S. Political Voices for Jimmy Lai
Various efforts have been made in the U.S. to urge the Beijing and Hong Kong governments to free Jimmy Lai. On February 9, following Jimmy Lai’s sentencing, John Moolenaar, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party, issued a statement saying, “The sentencing of Jimmy Lai is the latest stain on the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record and its farce of maintaining the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ commitment. Lai and his colleagues at Apple Daily are being punished for exposing the CCP’s attacks on human rights in Hong Kong.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated on the same day that the sentencing of Jimmy Lai was “unjust” and reflected Beijing’s suppression of individuals advocating for fundamental freedoms.
Rubio’s statement said: “The Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison is an unjust and tragic outcome of this case. It shows the world that Beijing is willing to take extreme measures to silence those who advocate for fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, completely disregarding its international commitments made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
Over the past five years, Congressman Smith has been vigorously advocating for Jimmy Lai’s release; he has hosted several congressional hearings on Jimmy Lai’s case to raise awareness and condemn the CCP’s violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.
Congressman Smith concluded his press release by stating that Jimmy Lai’s 20-year sentence is equivalent to “life imprisonment,” noting, “Jimmy Lai’s only ‘crime’ is telling the truth, so we must unwaveringly strive to raise public awareness of this egregious injustice and call for his immediate release.”
Following Jimmy Lai’s sentencing to 20 years this month, Senators Sullivan and Smith called on Congress to swiftly pass bipartisan legislation regarding Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act introduced earlier this year by Senate Foreign Relations Committee senior member, Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley, and the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act introduced last May by Senator Sullivan, along with the Jimmy Lai Way Act introduced by Congressman Smith last March.
Claire Lai’s Open Letter to Gu Ailing: Urging Beijing on Her Father’s Situation
Meanwhile, an open letter written by Claire Lai to Gu Ailing, an Olympic champion born in the U.S., was published in the New York Post last Saturday (February 21), urging Gu to use her influence to compel the Beijing government to release her father, Jimmy Lai. Claire wrote, “I believe, as an outstanding member of China’s Olympic team and a respected figure in Chinese society, you could be a key force in encouraging the Chinese government to take humanitarian action.” She continued, “I implore you to convey my father’s situation to Chinese officials and urge them to allow an elderly man who cherishes freedom like you to enjoy his later years.”
At 78, Jimmy Lai is the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily. In December 2025, he was convicted by a national security law-designated judge on three counts, including ‘colluding with foreign or overseas forces’ and ‘conspiring to publish seditious publications’. Jimmy Lai’s case continues to provoke strong reactions internationally.
On February 9, in addition to Jimmy Lai’s 20-year sentence, his eight co-defendants, including six senior executives from the now-defunct Apple Daily, received sentences ranging from over six years to ten years in prison.
Just this Monday, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal dismissed appeals filed by 12 convicted defendants in the Hong Kong pro-democracy primary ’47 case’ regarding their convictions or sentences. Human rights organizations stated that the Hong Kong authorities “missed the opportunity to correct unjust rulings” and called for the release of all 47 individuals.
President Trump is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday (February 24) at 9 PM Eastern Time, marking his first State of the Union address since his second term began.