Trump's trampling of political norms spurs strongman comparisons
As Trump meets Turkey's Erdogan, critics say he gives ammunition to repressive leaders worldwide.
By MICHAEL CROWLEY 05/16/17 05:09 AM EDT
On a recent visit to Washington, members of an official Chinese delegation told their congressional hosts that Jared Kushner, with his murky mix of business and political interests, reminded them of a wealthy young communist “princeling” in their own country.
When Capitol Hill aides warned officials from another repressive foreign government that they could pay a political price for human rights abuses, their visitors scoffed: President Donald Trump had just called their leader, they said, and told him he was doing a great job.
In addition to those interactions, recounted by people who were present, in the days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, one diplomat from an undemocratic nation told POLITICO he was taking a guilty pleasure in the spectacle. “Now you guys can’t lecture everyone else anymore,” he said.
Trump has delighted in trampling political norms — from attacks on the judiciary and the media to groundless accusations about his political opponents — in ways that critics say resemble the behavior of foreign autocrats whom the United States has long condemned.
Now congressional officials, human rights activists and U.S. diplomats say they worry Trump may be setting a dangerous example overseas.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/trump-strongman-erdogan-238418
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