Trump praises Xi for paving way to limitless tenure
United States President Donald Trump on Saturday appeared to cheer on Chinese President Xi Jinping for paving the way to a limitless tenure, while delivering a lighthearted address at a Florida fundraising event.
Trump seemed to jokingly muse over making such power consolidation moves himself, according to audio from the closed-door event, published by news outlet CNN.
“He’s now president for life,” Trump said, eliciting chuckles from the crowd of Republican donors. “And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great.”
He garnered even more laughs when he quipped: “Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot some day.”
Though the US leader’s comments struck a jocular tone, many on Twitter voiced concern over the prospect of an indefinite Trump presidency.
“Whether this was a joke or not, talking about being president for life like Xi Jinping is the most un-American sentiment expressed by an American president,” said Democrat Ro Khanna, a California congressman.
“George Washington would roll over in his grave.”