Posted by Alumni from The Atlantic
May 20, 2026
Some of Donald Trump's favorite world leaders have been scoundrels, bullies, and dictators. He keeps a picture of himself with the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin on the wall of the White House. He claims to have fallen 'in love' with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He publicly supported Hungary's Viktor Orban, who has been chased from power, and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, who is now under house arrest for the next two decades. He just returned from China and gushed about how the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, is a 'great leader' whom he's honored to have as 'a friend.' Trump's own FBI calls China's recent cyberattacks and influence operations against U.S. government agencies, businesses, and academic institutions 'a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States.' But when asked whether he had discussed these attacks with Xi, the president not only waved the question away but seemed almost eager to absolve... learn more