The Problematic World Leaders Trump Has Praised and Why it Matters
By: Charlotte Bertrand
Tags: Politics, World, International Relations, Informative, Trump

The Problematic World Leaders Trump Has Praised and Why it Matters Charlotte Bertrand Follow Oct 30 · 2 min read

Since Donald Trump entered the Oval Office, his foreign policy has only echoed his immorality. From deserting the Kurds to placing Jared Kushner in charge of peace in the Middle East, this administration’s foreign policy is, for lack of a better word, a sh*itshow. However, what I find most problematic, is how often the supposed Leader of the Free World praises world leaders known for their lack of scruples and dismay for democracy. Let’s dive into some of the President’s kind remarks regarding our planet’s most brutal heads of state.

Xi Jinping. As in the man currently orchestrating the genocide of the Uighur people through forced sterilization, forced labor camps, and physical abuse. Trump, in the years since the resolution of the useless trade war he started with China, has said that it is “terrific working with President Xi, a man who truly loves his country.” First of all, Xi Jinping is many things, but a president isn’t one. That would imply he was elected by the Chinese people, which he was not. Regardless, saying that a man who is cleansing an entire ethnic group within his borders “truly loves his country” is a gross misrepresentation of the situation.

Rodrigo Duterte. The man encouraging extrajudicial killings of anyone thought to be related to the narcotrafficking industry in the Philippines. Duterte’s “war on drugs” has led to the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos to date, mostly in impoverished areas of large cities. And what did Trump have to say about this gross human rights issue? The President of the United States stated that Duterte is doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.”

Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s leader who seized power and began the “erosion of secularism, elimination of democratic rule, disregard for human rights, and Turkey’s loss of credibility in the international arena.” Also the man launching an assault on the Kurds in Northern Syria. Trump has said: “ I get along with Erdogan even though I’m not supposed to.” There’s a reason the President of the United States should not enable an increasingly authoritarian head of state, especially not in the Middle East, where historically, that hasn’t worked out for us. Yet, here Trump goes, making messes that future generations will most likely have to clean up.

Viktor Orban. A man whose essence and policies can be resumed in this statement of his “We don’t see these people as Muslim refugees. We see them as Muslim invaders.” Orban has been gaining an unhealthy amount of power in Hungary and has begun spewing anti-EU rhetoric. Trump, instead of condemning racism and the potential demise of Hungarian democracy, has said that Orban is “respected all over Europe.”

I am not going to dive into Trump’s bromances with Putin or Jim Jong-Un because those already receive enough media attention. While the President’s comments may seem accidental, or like he doesn’t understand the severity of the men’s actions, he does and is encouraging the world to follow in the footsteps of authoritarianism and human rights violations.