Dic-tator-tot Envy
The only foreign leaders US President Trump praises are not America's traditional long-term allies, but dictators who are the US's geopolitical adversaries.
You’d think that with the US ostensibly being a rules-based, capitalist, democracy that Trump would feel the most affinity from nations that also purport to hold those values.
So which foreign leaders does he praise? The UK’s Starmer? France’s Macron? Germany’s Merz? Canada’s Carney? Japan’s Ishiba? South Korea’s Lee, Australia’s Albanese?
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope and nope.
Trump’s obsession with being a populist strong man has him sucking up to some of the worst leaders of the worst nations on earth, specifically their authoritarian styles or actions.
That’s perhaps not surprising for a leader who runs around like a toddler screaming, “You’re not the boss of me!” when, in a constitutional democracy, many, many, many –hundreds of millions actually – people literally are. The boss of him.
While Trump rarely explicitly endorses or details specific authoritarian actions like human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, or dismantling of democratic institutions, his praise very often coincides with or follows such actions, and can be interpreted as implicitly condoning them by focusing on the leader's perceived strength or effectiveness. His endorsements highlight a desire for similar levels of authority or an admiration for their ability to bypass democratic checks and balances.
The Rogues Gallery
Kim Jong Un
"Chairman Kim has a great and beautiful vision for his country, and only the United States, with me as President, can make that vision come true." (in response to North Korean missile tests)
"How smart is Kim Jong Un? Top of the line. Really smart. You know, when you come out and as a young man at 24, 23, even though he sort of inherits it… he took over a country of very smart people, very, very energetic people, very tough people at a very young age and he has total dominant control."
"He's the head of a country. And I mean he is the strong head. Don't let anyone think anything different."
“He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”
"His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor."
“Kim Jong Un was … very open. I think very honorable, from everything we’re seeing.”
"He's total dominant control."
"When you take over a country — tough country, tough people — and you take it over from your father, I don't care who you are, what you are, how much of an advantage you have, if you can do that at 27 years old, I mean that's one in 10,000 that could do that."
"He wiped out the uncle. He wiped out this one, that one. I mean, this guy doesn't play games. And we can't play games with him." (Referring to Kim Jong Un's purging of rivals, 2016)
"We fell in love, okay? No, really -- he wrote me beautiful letters."
"You know you call people sometimes killers, [Kim Jong Un] is a killer. He's clearly executing people... He's a tough guy."
“Yeah, but so have a lot of other people done some very bad things.” (when confronted about Kim’s human rights abuses) minimizing the abuses and focusing on Kim’s strength as a leader.
Vladimir Putin
“Putin didn’t respect President Obama... President Obama lost Crimea because President Putin didn’t respect President Obama, didn’t respect our country, and didn’t respect Ukraine”.
“I said, 'How smart is that?' He's going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That's the strongest peace force. We could use that on our southern border. That's the strongest peace force I've ever seen. There were more army tanks than I've ever seen. They're going to keep peace, all right.”
“Putin made a ‘hell of a way to negotiate, put 200,000 soldiers on the border.’”
“He’s a strong leader … I think when he calls me brilliant, I take the compliment. The man has very strong control over a country … Far more than our president has been a leader.”
“Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!”
"I think he's a genius."
"The way [Putin] is able to govern, the things Putin is able to say, the way things seem responsive to Putin without the institutions of government pushing back on him. Yeah, I think he'd like that." (Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, quoting his interpretation of Trump's attitude towards Putin)
"I knew Putin very well. I got along with him great. He liked me. I liked him. I mean, you know, he's a tough cookie, got a lot of the great charm and a lot of pride."
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
“I give Erdoğan great credit for turning the coup around.”
He's a hell of a leader." (following Turkey's offensive in Syria)
"I'm a big fan of the president, to tell you that, and I know that the ceasefire, while complicated is moving forward, and moving forward at a very rapid clip." (despite Turkey's offensive against U.S. allies in Syria)
“President Erdoğan … he’s doing a very good job: the President of Turkey.”
"I have a great relationship with a man named Erdoğan... I mean as long as you're reasonable, you have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable."
“Thank you … it’s my honor … he’s become a friend of mine … he’s getting very high marks.”
"I happen to like him, and he likes me."
"He's a very smart guy and very tough."
"It's funny, the relationships I have -- the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them."
Viktor Orbán
"There's nobody that's better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán, who's fantastic. He's a non-controversial figure, because he says, 'This is the way it's gonna be and that's the end of it,' right? He's the boss."
“There’s a man, Viktor Orbán … he’s probably, like, one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world.”
"He has done a tremendous job in protecting his country and his people."
"He's a great leader. He's a fantastic leader."
He's a strong man. He's a tough person, smart."
"He is a true leader and a true patriot."
Benjamin Netanyahu
"I have a great relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think he's done a fantastic job for Israel."
"You've been an extraordinary leader, decisive, courageous, with a clear vision and clear action. You have done great things for Israel." (Birthday wishes to Netanyahu, 2025)
"Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel). Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me.
"
"He's a very decisive person. He does not take prisoners, politically."
"I think it's been excellent. We gave Iran a chance, and they didn't take it. They got hit -- hard. As hard as you can get hit. And there's more coming. A lot more."
"Our enemy is your enemy and by doing what we're doing, we're dealing with something that will threaten all of us sooner or later."
"I'm with you 100%."
Xi Jinping
"He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he's a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not."
"I think he's probably the most powerful [Chinese] president in a hundred years. He's going to be there for life. He's tremendous."
“President Xi, who is a strong man … President for life! That’s pretty good.”
“President Xi … I call him King … No, you’re president for life and therefore, you’re King.”
“I like President Xi a lot. I consider him a friend … He’s a strong gentleman, tough guy.”
"People ask me how smart is Xi. I say top of the line. You never met anybody smarter."
"He's a fierce person. He's a very smart guy."
"He's a brilliant guy. The press gets upset when I say he's a smart man. The real enemies are enemies from within."
“Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength.” (Trump comparing the USSR’s Gorbachev unfavourably with China when they put down the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests with bloody suppression)
Leggo My Eggo! (Tater Tot)
Trump’s quotes about despots and dictatorships show an understanding and envy akin to something a child – a tot, a dic-tator-tot, if you will– would say about a violent bully at a daycare when the person he was watching stole the other child’s tater tot, not surprising when his child clinical psychologist niece, Mary Trump, diagnoses him as having sociopathic tendencies and meeting all nine criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She also suggests he may have antisocial and dependent personality disorder traits, along with possible learning disorders.
“[Donald Trump] today is much as he was at three years old: incapable of growing, learning, or evolving, unable to regulate his emotions, moderate his responses, or take in and synthesize information." – Mary Trump, "Too Much and Never Enough"
Compassion, peace, fairness, equality, freedom, brotherhood, liberty, happiness? Those are all things he clearly doesn’t understand or care about as long as he can steal as many tater tots as he can get his hands on.