7 Controversial Authoritarian Leaders Who Were Commended By Donald Trump
Donald Trump's 7 Fostered Friendships With Authoritarian Leaders
The overlap between ideology and leadership becomes a focus of scrutiny in the world of international politics. Former President Donald Trump has recently been under fire for using vocabulary similar to autocratic rulers like Hitler, such as referring to political opponents as "vermin." He recently sent congratulations messages to right-wing populist politician Javier Milei, sparking conversation on authoritarian leaders and Trump. However, this isn't the first time. Trump's preference for strongman leadership over his career hasn't gone ignored. Trump has a history of forming connections with dictatorial regimes and people all over the world. Here are 7 such controversial authoritarian leaders with whom Trump has formed strong connections and who have also earned favor in Trump's eyes:
1. President Xi Jinping
Political and academic analysts have frequently referred to Xi as an authoritarian leader. Under his watch, censorship and mass surveillance have increased, human rights have deteriorated, and one million Uyghurs have been detained in Xinjiang. He has created a cult of personality centered around himself and, in 2018, he abolished the presidential term limit. In 2019, Trump said that he thinks Xi is a very strong person, “And I like President Xi a lot. I consider him a friend, and – but I like him a lot. I’ve gotten to know him very well. He’s a strong gentleman, right? Anybody that – he’s a strong guy, tough guy.” Recently, in April, Trump said President Xi is “a brilliant man. … the look, the brain, the whole thing. We had a great relationship.”
2. Rodrigo Duterte
Over 7,000 Filipinos lost their lives as a result of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, per NPR. In a twisted analogy, Duterte praised Hitler, saying, "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there are three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them." He's justified a lot of killings, including that of journalists "Just because you're a journalist," he said, "you are not exempted from assassination if you're a son of a bitch." Duterte and Trump, according to Trump, "had a great relationship." The president of the Philippines then ushered out reporters he mockingly referred to as "spies" and informed media that the two leaders would meet privately, per The Guardian.
3. Vladimir Putin
Trump gets along well with Putin, who is notorious for waging war against the sovereign nation of Ukraine at the moment. Putin is charged with providing military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad, who the West accuses of deploying chemical weapons on his people. According to reports, Putin has hacked Western bank accounts and interfered in elections, including those held in the United States, without facing consequences. In addition, hundreds of men in Chechnya have been apprehended on suspicion of being gay; three of them were slain in 2017, per NPR. In 2016, Trump fawned over Putin, saying: "I've already said, he is very much of a leader. I mean, you can say, oh, isn't that a terrible thing — the man has very strong control over a country. Now, it's a very different system, and I don't happen to like the system. But certainly, in that system, he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader."
4. Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un is quite infamous for his autocratic rule. In 2014, Human Rights Watch found the following, "Abuses in North Korea were without parallel in the contemporary world. They include extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. North Korea operates secretive prison camps where perceived opponents of the government are sent to face torture and abuse, starvation rations, and forced labor. Fear of collective punishment is used to silence dissent. There is no independent media, functioning civil society, or religious freedom." In 2017, Trump praised him, saying, "At a very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie."
5. Viktor Orban
Viktor Orbán's government has limited journalistic freedom, eroded judicial independence, and harmed multiparty democracy, many political scientists and non-governmental groups have reported, per WBUR. Orbán, using racist rhetoric, condemned the mixing of European and non-European races in a July 2022 address, saying, "We [Hungarians] are not a mixed race, and we do not want to become a mixed race." Trump often praises Orban, calling him a "Viktor Orbán, did anyone ever hear of him, he is probably one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world," recently at a campaign stop. Orban too likes Trump, calling for his return to the White House.
6. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration has been distinguished by democratic backsliding and a turn toward a more authoritarian style of governance, as well as charges of human rights violations and opposition repression. He has been chastised for his handling of several topics, including the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013, the failed coup attempt in 2016, his economic policies, and the ongoing violence in Syria. Erdoğan backed the referendum in 2017, which transformed Turkey's parliamentary system into a presidential one and dramatically expanded executive powers. Trump openly praised Erdogan and his confrontational leadership style since taking office, referring to him as "a friend" and a "hell of a leader," per Reuters.
7. Javier Milei
Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei, a right-wing populist who admires Trump, rose to prominence on Argentine television as a foul-mouthed economic analyst before being elected to Congress in 2021. Milei, a supporter of former US President Donald Trump, wants to rid politics of "thieves." “I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly make Argentina great again,” Trump said in a video published on social media, echoing his own MAGA rhetoric, per ABC News.
