President Trump praised Hong Kong protesters for their signs and "Make Hong Kong Great Again" banners.

"You have great people over there. I see they're flying the American flags. They even have signs, 'Make China Great Again,' 'Make Hong Kong Great Again.' I'm saying, 'Get those sings,'" Trump said Monday at a press conference after a reporter asked what he thought about Hong Kong pro-democracy protests.

"They have tremendous signage, and they have a tremendous spirit for our country. A lot of American flags. A lot of Trump signs," he added.

The president said he wanted a "humane deal" made between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hong Kong. Trump also denied that he agreed to remain silent about Hong Kong protests during trade talks with China.

Protests in Hong Kong have heated up in recent weeks, with police labeling pro-democracy protesters as terrorists and shooting and killing the first protester since the start of the summer-long demonstrations.

