New Delhi: US President Donald Trump wants his Cabinet to emulate the Chinese President’s for at least a few days.
Why?
“He’s never seen men so scared in their lives.”
Trump, at a meeting with Republican senators at the White House Wednesday, recalled his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea’s Busan last month, saying animatedly that he too wants his cabinet officials to talk less and just “sit up – nice and straight”.
“He’s (Xi) here and he’s got about six people on each side, and every one of those people is standing like this… They weren’t at attention, and I made a comment to one of them and got no response. I said, ‘Are you going to answer me?’ I got no response,” Trump said.
Their silence was absolute, and Xi’s control, total, according to the US President.
“President Xi didn’t let him (cabinet official) have any,” Trump said, joking that he would also want his cabinet to function this way.
“So if there’s any question, I said, I want my cabinet to behave like that. I’m demanding that. I want them sitting up like that, — just nice and straight.”
Trump then recounted how one official, who was “the equivalent of a Vice-President”, refused to move even when questioned directly.
“I said, ‘Are you going to answer my question?’ And he doesn’t move. I said, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’”
Trump then turned to his deputy J.D. Vance, and quipped “Why don’t you behave like that JD? JD doesn’t behave like that. JD butts into conversations… I want to have that for at least a couple of days — we’ll keep you long term, but a couple of days of that would be very nice.”
Trump’s discussions with Xi, ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, was the first bilateral to be organised with the Chinese President in his second term.
Though a trade deal was not announced between the two superpowers, the meeting ended with concessions from both sides. The US agreed to reduce tariffs on some Chinese goods, while Beijing declared it will remove restrictions on exports of rare earths. China also agreed to start buying soybeans and other agriculture products from American farmers – a tactic Beijing had used to prod Trump into reaching a trade deal.
Further discussions between the two leaders covered economic and security issues, among them fentanyl smuggling and the separation of TikTok from its parent company ByteDance.
On Wednesday, Trump told senators that recent improvements in global rare earth supplies were the direct result of his trade policies. “Two months ago, it looked like the whole world was in trouble over rare earths. That’s no longer a subject for people. Without tariffs, I couldn’t have done it,” he said.
Before ending the conference, Trump also called Xi a “tough, smart man”.
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