Kathrine Frich
Political leaders usually stick to policy when discussing global counterparts.
But sometimes, the diplomatic script gets tossed out the window in favor of something much more personal.
A high-stakes summit just took an unexpected detour into physical appraisals.
Central casting
According to The Daily Beast, the seventy nine year old president insisted that Xi looks exactly like a cinematic leader.
“If you went to Hollywood and looked for a leader of China to play a role in a movie,” Trump told Hannity, “he’s Central Casting. You couldn’t find a guy like him.”
The unusual praise did not stop at hypothetical movie roles. Trump then focused his attention on the Chinese leader’s body and physical build.
Physical features
The president seemed fascinated by the height of his diplomatic rival. The Daily Beast noted that Xi stands at approximately five feet eleven inches, while Trump claims his own height is six feet three inches.
“He’s tall, he’s very tall,” Trump said of the Chinese leader.
The American president then followed up with a generalization about the entire Chinese population. He claimed that people in the Asian nation “tend to be a little bit shorter,” according to the news outlet.
These specific remarks instantly sparked a massive wave of backlash across social media platforms.
Online outrage
Critics quickly flocked to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to heavily condemn the bizarre television commentary. Many users labeled the sweeping statements about physical traits as racially insensitive.
One frustrated user did not hold back in their harsh assessment of the television interview. “Trump said the quiet part loud, the racist part loud, and the stupid part loud,” the user wrote on X.
The social media commentator added that the president’s constant stream of controversial remarks was simply “EXHAUSTING.”
During the same television segment, Trump also described Xi as a “warm person” who was entirely focused on business matters. The Daily Beast highlighted that the American leader frequently praises controversial global figures.
Sources: The Daily Beast, Fox News, X (formerly Twitter)
