During the White House breakfast on Nov. 5, Donald Trump almost sang a sermon admiring the posture parade of Chinese President Xi Jinping. But then, he accidentally exposed his dictator dreams. Trump demanded his own Cabinet act like frightened props.
While describing his recent meeting with Jinping in Busan, Trump called the Chinese President a “tough man.” The story started like harmless small talk, but soon veered straight into autocrat cosplay. “He’s got about six people on each side. And every one of those people was standing like this,” Trump said, imitating Xi’s officials standing at attention. But he sounded a little too excited to recount that.
Trump then shared how none of Jinping’s officials responded to him when he asked them a question. They let Jinping answer for them, and that probably inspired Trump. “I want my cabinet to behave like that,” he declared. “I’m demanding that my cabinet sit up like that. Just nice and straight.” If controlling his men’s tongues wasn’t enough, Trump now wants to control their posture, too, like his dictator friend.
“I never saw a posture like that. I’ve never seen men so scared in their lives.”
Then, turning to Vice President JD Vance, Trump added with a grin, “Why don’t you behave like that?” He contrasted Vance’s habit of butting into conversations with Jinping’s officials. “I want that for at least a couple of days,” he quipped. Though it was meant as a joke, the laughter died when he began admiring the image of frightened men saluting power. For a leader who once positioned himself as “King Trump” on social media, this doesn’t seem much like a joke.
Trump’s wish for rigid, silent loyalty fits a little too perfectly with his record. He fired James Comey, punished critics in the media, and name-called his own party members for having independent thoughts. His cabinets have never been teams; they’ve been obedience drills.
Ironically, this is the same man who hates on anyone left of him and calls them a “communist.” Yet here he was, openly admiring the performative fear surrounding an actual communist leader. Just days ago, he labeled Zohran Mamdani a “communist” and warned he’d defund the city. He gave long speeches about how communists are evil, but now wishes his own government looked more like China’s.
Social media caught his hypocrisy instantly. “He bashes Mamdani for being a ‘communist’ but begs to be treated like one,” one pointed out. Another wondered, “Is he openly demanding an autocratic regime?” And sure enough, the words he passed off as a joke echo a sinister wish. As one user commented:
“This is just more evidence that Trump wants to be a dictator with everyone bowing down to him. Republicans are already scared enough of him and afraid to express a divergent opinion. If they were any more frightened, you’d have to pass out at his cabinet meetings.”
But we already know the Constitution is just another book Trump never read. He already has ideas to come back to power for a third term, so he might as well want to be a dictator. While he may laugh it off as a joke, the pattern is no joke. Every time he praises control, he tells us exactly what type of government he wants.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
