Trump Trolling Tyrants, an Odyssey: Kitiki #342
Oligarchs and Tyrants
“But all of the things that we’ve given, and they wouldn’t vote. Only because they hate Trump. But I hate them, too. You know that? I really do; I hate them. I cannot stand them because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth,” the president told an Iowan crowd.[1]
I get serious blowback talking about trying to find things to “unite us,” when I hear our president speak. Especially when I hear a fixation of him trolling of tyrants. [2]
Putin. Trump has continued to praise and never publicly criticize Putin and has issued intermittent reminders that he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin more than intelligence agencies for the government Trump once led. In 2023 he posted on his Truth Social platform criticizing U.S. intelligence officials as “misfits” and “lowlifes”
Erdogan. Though accused by the French magazine Le Point conducting ethnic cleansing Trump said of Turkish President Erdogan, “He’s running a very difficult part of the world. He’s involved very, very strongly and frankly, he’s getting very high marks,” despite his increasingly autocratic behavior, September 2017. Erdogan’s powers increased in April of 2017 following a referendum that “gives him the green light to create a muscular presidency, with powers to personally appoint or dismiss ministers, select judges and rule by decree if he deems it necessary,” according to the BBC. Trump licensed his name for $5 million to Trump Towers Istanbul, an office and condo development that opened in 2012.
Kim. Trump came away from meeting North Korean President Kim—an unabashedly adoring fan. Trump said “He’s the head of a country. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.” Trump said of the correspondence with the North Korean dictator. “No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters, and they’re great letters. We fell in love.”
Xi. In the closed-door remarks, a recording of which was obtained by CNN, Trump praised China’s President Xi Jinping for recently consolidating power and extending his potential tenure, musing he wouldn’t mind making such a maneuver himself. “He’s now president for life. President for life. No, he’s great...he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot.” [3] Trump told Republican donors during a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, according to CNN, talking about Xi’s abolishment of term limits.
Sisi. Ever since he seized power in a military takeover in 2013, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt had been barred from the White House. But President Trump made clear during his first administration that the period of ostracism was over as he hosted Mr. Sisi and pledged unstinting support for the autocratic ruler. “We agree on so many things,” Mr. Trump said as he sat beside Mr. Sisi in the Oval Office. “I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President el-Sisi. He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. The United States has, believe me, backing, and we have strong backing.” While his predecessors considered authoritarians like Mr. Sisi to be distasteful Trump signaled that he sees international relations through a transactional lens adding, Sisi’s “done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. You have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me.”[4]
Extrapolating some of the comments on how Trump envied authoritarian leader, his former Chief of Staff, retired 4-star General Kelly is quoted in a story published in The Atlantic discussing Trump’s purported comments about “German generals,” The magazine quoted a 2022 book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, that said Trump had asked Kelly, “Why can’t you be like the German generals?”
Kelly told The Atlantic that he responded: “Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals? And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.’” The magazine also quoted two unidentified sources saying Trump once said, in a private conversation in the White House, “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.”[5]
Some things leave me speechless. These are not my words, not my narrative or framing, about my president. A president who speculated on being president for life. That may be true until we stand up.
Stand up like in the protests that we don’t want a king. Stand up like we don’t want a tyrant. Stand up like other leaders in the world stand up, like Brazil’s president Lula told Donald Trump to mind his own business after the US leader rushed to the defense of embattled former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is sometimes referred to as the “Trump of the tropics,” who is facing charges that he attempted a coup. Trump recent response? Impose a 50% tariff on Brazil.
Not standing down, Lula said during a Monday press conference in Rio De Janeiro, “This country has laws, rules and a boss called the Brazilian people.” He told Trump, “Give your opinion on your life and not ours.”[6]
Could not have said it better, America is not a country for Tyrants.
[1] Trump says ‘I hate’ Democrats who didn’t vote for ‘big, beautiful bill’
[2] Everything Trump Has Said Sounding Like He Longs to be a Dictator
[3] Trump on China’s Xi consolidating power: ‘Maybe we’ll give that a shot some day.’ | CNN Politics
[4] Trump Shifts Course on Egypt, Praising Its Authoritarian Leader - The New York Times
[5] Every time Donald Trump has invoked Hitler and the Nazis – The Forward
[6] Lula Tells Trump to Mind Own Business After Bolsonaro Comments