• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Friday, March 31, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Trump’s Views on Dictators go far Beyond Strategic Support

Natasha Lindstaedt by Natasha Lindstaedt
11/18/17
in Featured, Opinion
Duterte Putin Trump praise authoritarian leaders tyrants dictators

President Trump met with Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte in Manila. Photo: Getty Images

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The United States has long had a history of supporting dictatorships for strategic reasons. Ronald Reagan propped up the authoritarian regimes in Guatemala and El Salvador during the 1980s. Richard Nixon backed Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Even Jimmy Carter initially turned a blind eye to rights abuses at the hands of the military junta in Argentina.

But no U.S. president has expressed so much admiration for dictators as Donald Trump. Mr. Trump’s recent trip to Asia was marked by praise for authoritarian leaders, speaking about them as if they were his role models.

It should come as no surprise that Mr. Trump is impressed by dictatorships. Dictators possess certain attributes that remind him of himself. He believes himself to have super-human qualities, boasting about everything from his intelligence to his communication and negotiation skills. As such, Mr. Trump admires leaders who are strong, decisive and overly confident. Rather than being repelled by the narcissism of other dictators, he instead appears to be awe-struck.

And because Mr. Trump is so narcissistic himself, he is easily flattered and manipulated. While the president was incredibly tough on China while on the campaign trail in 2016, after a few encounters with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, Mr. Trump completely changed his tune. Gone the man who had once claimed that China was “raping” the U.S. with its trade policies.

After China rolled out the red carpet treatment for Mr. Trump during his recent visit to Beijing, the president claimed that the Chinese people were “very proud” of Xi Jinping, noting the great “chemistry” between the two leaders. Instead of pressing China on its human rights violations, Mr. Trump was easily impressed.

And no one knows more about how to flatter or manipulate the American president than Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin early on made a good impression on his counterpart by saying the right things to woo him. Mr. Trump referred fondly to visits with Mr. Putin in Russia, claiming he “could not have been nicer.”

And more recently, in spite of the intelligence community’s clear warning that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, Mr. Trump publicly took Mr. Putin’s word over the warnings from his own government. He has made it clear that flattery will get you far, stating of Mr. Putin, “If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him.”

But it is not just that these leaders are telling Mr. Trump what he wants to hear. He expresses genuine admiration for dictators and other tough leaders. He reveres leaders who are able to exercise great control over their societies. He further illustrated his admiration for the Russian president’s leadership skills. “I’ve already said, he is really very much of a leader…..he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader. … he does have an 82 percent approval rating, according to the different pollsters….”

Mr. Trump is also impressed by leaders who are not regulated by the judiciary and the rule of law. He early on expressed admiration for President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. In spite of a host of human rights abuses that caused tension between Duterte’s regime and the international community, Mr. Trump offered praise to the Philippine leader. Mr. Trump claimed that the two leaders have a “great relationship.” He has yet to question the Philippine leader on his support for extra-judicial killings of alleged criminals, choosing to ignore the divisive issue.

Mr. Trump is also supportive of leaders that rule by decree. He is used to running corporations where he can make decisions more or less unilaterally. He has found it difficult to work with a legislature, finding it to be a nuisance. Though the president referred to himself as the greatest deal maker, over a year has elapsed and not one major piece of legislation has been passed.

Instead of creating deals, Mr. Trump has found stumbling blocks, even coming from his own party. Leaders like Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey have earned the respect from Mr. Trump for ruling more decisively. The legislature in Turkey acted as a rubber stamp passing more than 500 laws during his first two years in office. Recently, Mr. Erdogan engineered the passing of a referendum that gave him unlimited powers and allowed him to rule until 2029. Rather than being alarmed by this, Mr. Trump was impressed and became the only Western leader to congratulate him.

Mr. Trump has also supported leaders who attack civil liberties. Leaders that infringe upon media freedoms are not criticized but instead are revered. Though Egypt has cracked down on civil liberties such as freedom of speech, Mr. Trump gave his full support to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He claimed, “we agreed on so many things…..He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation.”

Mr. Trump has famously attacked and tried to delegitimize the U.S. media, referring to it as “fake news.” He shares this distaste for the free media with other strong leaders. During the recent Asia trip, Mr. Duterte of the Philippines jokingly referred to the journalists questioning him and Mr. Trump as “spies.” Mr. Trump laughed along at the joke in spite of the fact that the Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with 78 journalists killed there since 1992.

When Mr. Trump was questioned about the fact that the Russian president has killed journalists, he replied, “he’s running his country, and at least he’s a leader.” And instead of criticizing Mr. Putin he made excuses claiming, “I think our country does plenty of killing, also.”

Mr. Trump has been impressed by those who rule by the politics of fear. And in spite of his privileged upbringing, Mr. Trump is drawn to leaders that speak in plain language and avoid conventions of political correctness.

He is also easily captivated by those who have immense power and wealth, explaining his awe of the Saudi royal family. Mr. Trump’s views on dictators go far beyond the strategic support that dictators have received in the past from the U.S. administrations. Mr. Trump doesn’t just support them; he looks up to them. For the moment, they are able to get away with what he can’t.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
Natasha Lindstaedt

Natasha Lindstaedt

Professor at the University of Essex and an expert on authoritarian regimes

Related Posts

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
World

Russia Fighting for Its ‘Historical Lands:’ Putin

by Staff Writer
February 23, 2023
Syrian rescuers and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building, in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023. Syrian rescuers (White Helmets) and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building
World

Quake Kills Over 1,200 Across Turkey, Syria

by Staff Writer
February 6, 2023
Soledar lies 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the city of Bakhmut, which Russia has been trying to seize for months
World

Fate of Ukraine’s Soledar Unclear as Wagner Claims Control

by Staff Writer
January 11, 2023
Donald Trump
National

US Supreme Court Freezes Release of Trump Tax Returns

by Staff Writer
November 1, 2022
Donald Trump
National

US Capitol Riot Probe Votes to Subpoena Trump to Testify

by Staff Writer
October 13, 2022
Vladimir Putin
Opinion

How 18th Century International Law Clarifies the Situation in Ukraine

by Sebastian Preising
September 29, 2022
Next Post
Morocco

15 Dead, 5 Hurt in a Stampede for Food Aid in Morocco

Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, attends the 12th African Union summit in Ethiopia in 2012

Zimbabwe Ruling Party Says Mugabe Goes or Impeachment Starts

Recommended

Damage from a series of powerful storms and at least one tornado is seen on March 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

After Tornado Kills 25, Mississippi Faces More Extreme Weather

March 26, 2023
Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
participants of an artificial intelligence conference

How AI Could Upend the World Even More Than Electricity or the Internet

March 19, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
Heavily armed police inspect the area near a Jehovah's Witness church where several people have been killed in a shooting in Hamburg, northern Germany

Eight Dead in Shooting at Jehovah’s Witness Hall in Germany

March 10, 2023
Myanmar Rohingya refugees look on in a refugee camp in Teknaf, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, on November 26, 2016

US Announces $26M in New Aid for Rohingya

March 8, 2023

Opinion

Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
An earthquake survivor reacts as rescuers look for victims and other survivors in Hatay, a Turkish province where hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake

Heed the Call of Our Broken World

March 1, 2023
Top view of the US House of Representatives

‘Cringy Awards:’ Who Is the Most Embarrassing US House Representative?

February 13, 2023
Protesters rally against the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols, outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Michigan, on January 27, 2023

How Do Violent ‘Monsters’ Take Root?

February 3, 2023
George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York

George Santos for Speaker!

January 16, 2023
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post