Trump Names Modi and Xi as Most Admired World Leaders
US President Donald Trump has named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as the world leaders he admires most. In an interview with Axios, Trump described Xi as 'all business' and called Modi 'a very tough cookie.'
The remarks were made on 'The Axios Show' on Thursday, shortly after Trump returned from the G7 summit in France. During the interview, he praised Modi's leadership, noting India's large population and Modi's ability to stay out of conflicts. 'I think Modi is very good. Yeah. They've had some very good numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He's 1.5 billion people. He's actually the biggest. India's actually the biggest. And Modi's a great leader,' Trump said.
Trump added that Modi is 'just highly respected' and called him 'a very tough cookie.' He did not name any leaders he considers weak. When asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's absence from the G7, Trump commented on the group's change from the G8 after Russia's expulsion in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea.
Trump also highlighted a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles, describing it as 'my weakness.' During the interview, Trump claimed he discovered 'no limits' to his power since the confrontation with Iran. A forthcoming book by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reports that Trump has entertained an even larger claim: that he may be the most powerful man in history.
The book, titled 'Regime Change,' describes Trump examining a document comparing his power favourably to historical figures such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler. According to the authors, Trump read from the document, listing each figure and explaining how they fell short compared to his position as US president. He reportedly noted that earlier leaders lacked modern advantages like aeroplanes.
The document, which Trump posted on Truth Social, concludes that his willingness to use power on a global scale makes him the most powerful person ever. The authors identify its writer not as a presidential historian, as Trump suggested, but as a longtime caddy and personal confidant of golfer Gary Player.
In the Axios interview, Trump assessed power in terms of submission, saying G7 leaders accepted his joke that 'I'm the boss,' and that Israel has 'a lot of respect for me' and will 'do as I say.' He claimed, 'If it weren't for me, Israel would not exist today.' He described his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as 'good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.' Trump also took a similar tone towards Republican critics of his Iran policy, calling some former allies 'hardliners' whom he no longer respects. He insisted the outcome with Iran amounted to 'unconditional surrender' and 'regime change,' despite falling short of his initial demands.
