A widely-circulated video from a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday has left the former president in hot water after he was shown praising both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump compared Xi and Putin to President Joe Biden, saying, “I’ve got to know a lot of the foreign leaders, and let me tell you, unlike our leader, they’re at the top of their game.”
“He [Xi] rules with an iron fist, 1.5 billion people, yeah I’d say he’s smart,” he added. “Wouldn’t you say he’s smart?”
Since taking office as China’s president in 2012, Xi has been accused by Human Rights Watch of beginning a “broad and sustained offensive on human rights,” which has been characterised by an increase in censorship and widespread surveillance.
The Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in the province of Xinjiang have been subjected to “serious human rights violations,” according to a report released by the UN earlier this week. In the report, investigators claimed to have discovered “credible evidence” of torture that may constitute crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court is currently conducting a formal investigation into war crimes committed by Russian forces during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In the past, Trump has called Putin “smart” and described his justification for invading Ukraine as “genius.” According to top sources, he has also praised Xi, saying that “he liked me, and I liked him.”
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Trump also referred to Biden as an “enemy of the state” and expressed disappointment at the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid during the speech in Pennsylvania.
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