Donald Trump's visit to China revealed a surprising deference and comfort with authoritarian pageantry, contrasting sharply with his usual behavior in democracies. The article explores his admiration for Xi Jinping's control and the limited scope of his agenda, focusing on personal political gains rather than challenging China on human rights or structural reforms.
During his visit to China, Donald Trump displayed an uncharacteristic deference and comfort, seemingly at home amidst the rigid pageantry of the authoritarian state. The article notes his visible delight in an environment where 'the strongman fantasy is made flesh,' contrasting this with his often disruptive behavior in European democracies. Trump, who has shown 'authoritarian yearnings' in the US, offered fawning praise to President Xi Jinping, calling him a 'great leader' and expressing an honor to be his friend. He was observed to be unusually circumspect, avoiding reporters and refraining from social media posts about his meeting. Despite Xi's warnings about Taiwan, Trump ignored questions from reporters, and even, uncharacteristically, took a sip of wine at a state banquet. The article suggests Trump's agenda was remarkably modest, aimed at securing personal political wins like Boeing plane deals to boost his polling numbers, rather than pushing for democracy, human rights, or structural reforms. It concludes by highlighting the concerning blurring of lines between democratic and autocratic leaders, as seen in Trump's apparent admiration for Xi's 'iron fist' control over 1.4 billion people.
