Former President Donald Trump praised authoritarian Chinese President Xi Jinping during a lengthy interview with podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday.
“We’re dealing with the smartest people,” Trump said about an hour and a half into the conversation, referring to the leaders of America’s enemies.
“They didn’t like it when I called President Xi in the media and they said, ‘Well, he called President Xi great.’ Well, he’s a great guy. He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, whether you like it or not, he’s a great guy. And they go crazy.”
“Yes. “It doesn’t mean he’s not evil, or that he’s not dangerous.” Rogan answered.
Trump took the opportunity to refer to Americans as “evil people.”
“Yes, of course not,” Trump said. “But actually, there are evil people in our country.”
Earlier this month, Trump said Democrats who oppose him are “the enemy within.” Trump repeated this again in his interview with Logan.
“We never had a problem with him,” Trump said of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “I tell people this. “I think we have a bigger problem because of the enemy within us.”
President Trump added, “When I use that term, (the media) goes crazy.”
“But we have an enemy within us. “We have some really bad people, and I mean some people who really want to make this country fail,” Trump repeated.
When the Chinese Communist Party announced in 2018 that it would eliminate presidential term limits, allowing Xi Jinping to remain in office indefinitely, Trump praised Xi Jinping.
At the time, President Trump said, “He is now president for life and president for life.” “And he’s great. See, he could do that. I think it’s great. I guess I’ll have to try it sometime.”
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Last year, Trump toyed with the idea that he would become a dictator if he took office. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Trump said he would act like a “dictator,” but only on the first day of the new administration.
President Trump reportedly praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and boasted about his relationship with Chairman Kim.
“He wants to see me again, too,” Trump said of the North Korean dictator at the Republican National Convention earlier this year. “If you want to know the truth, I think he misses me.”
