It is no secret, Donald Trump looks up to dictators. He has continually praised them for their expertise in controlling their people and their smarts. During his election campaign and as president of the United States, Trump has praised and shown much admiration for brutal and controversial dictators.
Kim Jong Un – A smart cookie
The president of the United States says he would be honoured to meet with Kim Jong-Un in order to diffuse the rising tensions over the nuclear threat. He then added, "If it's under the, again, under the right circumstances but I would do that".
However, this would make him the first U.S. president to meet with the North Korean leader while in power. He went on to heap praises on the North Korean dictator calling him a “smart cookie”. It was up to his Press Secretary Sean Spicer to elaborate on Trump’s compliments. He suggested that Kim Jong-Un assumed power at an early age, survived many potential threats and he is a young person leading a country with nuclear weapons.
An invitation to Rodrigo Duterte
Just recently Donald Trump extended the hands of friendship to Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. In a phone conversation with the president he reportedly expressed his understanding of, and his appreciation for, the challenges the country faces especially in relation to drugs.
He invited Duterte to the White House and says he was looking forward to a warm relationship with the President of the Philippines. Nicknamed “the punisher”, Duterte is said to have sanctioned the actions of vigilante death squads and during his presidential campaign, talked about his plan to massacre criminals.
Praise for Saddam Hussein
As the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump in talking about Saddam Hussein said that the U.S. should not have destabilised Saddam Hussein and praised him for his counter terrorism strategy. He referred to the deposed Iraqi leader as a really bad guy who did so good – killing terrorists. Saddam Hussein was executed in 2006 following a quarter century of brutal crimes against his people.
A Love fest with the Putin
Heaping praises on Vladimir Putin and vigorously defending him was a feature of Trump’s campaign and presidency. After receiving praise from the autocratic leader of Russia, Trump returned the favour by comparing Putin’s leadership to that of the U.S. He noted that at least Putin is a leader unlike what they have in the U.S. And when a journalist pointed out Putin’s alleged killing of Journalists, he responded that the U.S. was no different. He felt that being called “smart” by someone who heads Russia was “always good”
From his re-tweeting a quote attributable to the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, to his perceived love fest with Russian president Putin, Donald Trump has been consistent in his admiration for often controversial and brutal dictators.
Donald trump has referred to both Putin and Kim Jong Un as "smart". He has invited the Philippines president to visit the White house while commiserating with him on the country's drug problem - a drug problem which Rodrigo Duterte has reportedly handled with the use of death squads.
