President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping April 6, 2017, at the entrance of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo: D. Myles Cullen/White House/Flickr)
Mar 04, 2018
While President Donald Trump earned some laughs at a D.C. dinner on Saturday--in his words, "nobody does self-deprecating humor better than I do"--ethics experts warn his commentary earlier in the day, praising the Chinese president's power grab, was no laughing matter.
"Either he's losing it, or we're losing it if we let him stay on after this."
--Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer
CNN obtained audio from a closed-door event in which Trump spoke favorably about a recent move by Chinese President Xi Jinping to remain in his post by removing presidential term limits from the state constitution.
"He's now president for life. President for life. No, he's great," Trump said Saturday during a lunch and fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago estate, the so-called Winter White House. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."
The remarks alarmed ethics experts. Norm Eisen, the Obama administration's legal counsel and current chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), reacted on Twitter:
\u201cTrump\u2019s secret reaction to the Chinese communist dictator changing the rules to serve for life:\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll try that here someday.\u201c You mean, suspend the constitution and make you a permanent tyrant? I don\u2019t think so. https://t.co/bjvQEQcAOc\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520125110
\u201cThe most chilling part of this was the ecstatic cheers of his supporters behind closed doors when he said \u201cmaybe will try that someday.\u201d https://t.co/V45wODPvHk\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520126065
Former White House ethics attorneys Walt Shaub and Richard Painter also quickly weighed in:
\u201cEither he\u2019s losing it, or we\u2019re losing it if we let him stay on after this.\nHow many hints do we need that he wants to be a dictator?\n\nTrump on China's Xi consolidating power: 'Maybe we'll give that a shot some day' @CNNPolitics https://t.co/aQ1KXNT3gm\u201d— Richard W. Painter (@Richard W. Painter) 1520133752
Others added context by pointing to the current conditions in China under Xi Jinping:
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While President Donald Trump earned some laughs at a D.C. dinner on Saturday--in his words, "nobody does self-deprecating humor better than I do"--ethics experts warn his commentary earlier in the day, praising the Chinese president's power grab, was no laughing matter.
"Either he's losing it, or we're losing it if we let him stay on after this."
--Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer
CNN obtained audio from a closed-door event in which Trump spoke favorably about a recent move by Chinese President Xi Jinping to remain in his post by removing presidential term limits from the state constitution.
"He's now president for life. President for life. No, he's great," Trump said Saturday during a lunch and fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago estate, the so-called Winter White House. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."
The remarks alarmed ethics experts. Norm Eisen, the Obama administration's legal counsel and current chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), reacted on Twitter:
\u201cTrump\u2019s secret reaction to the Chinese communist dictator changing the rules to serve for life:\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll try that here someday.\u201c You mean, suspend the constitution and make you a permanent tyrant? I don\u2019t think so. https://t.co/bjvQEQcAOc\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520125110
\u201cThe most chilling part of this was the ecstatic cheers of his supporters behind closed doors when he said \u201cmaybe will try that someday.\u201d https://t.co/V45wODPvHk\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520126065
Former White House ethics attorneys Walt Shaub and Richard Painter also quickly weighed in:
\u201cEither he\u2019s losing it, or we\u2019re losing it if we let him stay on after this.\nHow many hints do we need that he wants to be a dictator?\n\nTrump on China's Xi consolidating power: 'Maybe we'll give that a shot some day' @CNNPolitics https://t.co/aQ1KXNT3gm\u201d— Richard W. Painter (@Richard W. Painter) 1520133752
Others added context by pointing to the current conditions in China under Xi Jinping:
While President Donald Trump earned some laughs at a D.C. dinner on Saturday--in his words, "nobody does self-deprecating humor better than I do"--ethics experts warn his commentary earlier in the day, praising the Chinese president's power grab, was no laughing matter.
"Either he's losing it, or we're losing it if we let him stay on after this."
--Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer
CNN obtained audio from a closed-door event in which Trump spoke favorably about a recent move by Chinese President Xi Jinping to remain in his post by removing presidential term limits from the state constitution.
"He's now president for life. President for life. No, he's great," Trump said Saturday during a lunch and fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago estate, the so-called Winter White House. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."
The remarks alarmed ethics experts. Norm Eisen, the Obama administration's legal counsel and current chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), reacted on Twitter:
\u201cTrump\u2019s secret reaction to the Chinese communist dictator changing the rules to serve for life:\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll try that here someday.\u201c You mean, suspend the constitution and make you a permanent tyrant? I don\u2019t think so. https://t.co/bjvQEQcAOc\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520125110
\u201cThe most chilling part of this was the ecstatic cheers of his supporters behind closed doors when he said \u201cmaybe will try that someday.\u201d https://t.co/V45wODPvHk\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1520126065
Former White House ethics attorneys Walt Shaub and Richard Painter also quickly weighed in:
\u201cEither he\u2019s losing it, or we\u2019re losing it if we let him stay on after this.\nHow many hints do we need that he wants to be a dictator?\n\nTrump on China's Xi consolidating power: 'Maybe we'll give that a shot some day' @CNNPolitics https://t.co/aQ1KXNT3gm\u201d— Richard W. Painter (@Richard W. Painter) 1520133752
Others added context by pointing to the current conditions in China under Xi Jinping:
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