Former President Donald Trump's speaking tour with right-wing pundit Bill O'Reilly was already off to a rocky start, with attendees posting pictures and videos featuring hundreds of empty seats despite the familiar promise of "massive crowds."
Now, some of Trump's comments during the event are making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Watch below.
Trump was asked by Bill O’Reilly this weekend which world leaders he “enjoyed speaking with the most.” Trump responded with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un - “he wrote me beautiful letters, I call them love letters.” pic.twitter.com/mvWr0RDpdT
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 13, 2021
When O'Reilly asked which foreign leaders Trump "enjoyed" speaking with the most, the former President responded:
“The ones I did the best with were the tyrants. And they all say, ‘Oh, he loves tyrants, he wants to be a tyrant.' No."
After decrying the media for noting his praise of tyrants, Trump proceeded to lavish praise upon multiple tyrants.
“I got along great with Putin. I got along great with President Xi of China. I got along great with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and isn’t that good? Isn’t that better than having a nuclear war? He wrote me beautiful letters, wrote me beautiful letters. I call them love letters. And the press said ‘He’s saying…’ But they are, they’re love letters.”
Sadly, Trump's praise of and cooperation with foreign adversaries is all too familiar.
At a 2018 presser in Helsinki, Trump infamously sided with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over American intelligence officials on the fact that Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the hope of benefitting Trump. Trump refused to intervene after Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi brutally murdered. Trump sought to secretly negotiate with the Taliban on the anniversary week of the September 11 attacks. The list goes on.
Trump's comments spoke volumes.
Human-rights abusing dictators are his favorite. https://t.co/kcHdaQ9zxb
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) December 13, 2021
Anyone who loves these guys does not love America. Bizarre that so many on the right think otherwise. https://t.co/1nxJ9ruxtq
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) December 13, 2021
Trump loves dictators, and his supporters want him to be one. https://t.co/28ThuX0T0e
— Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) December 13, 2021
All communist dictator authoritarian psychopaths! Right! Got it! https://t.co/mCvtQqljnQ
— Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) December 13, 2021
He simply cannot help himself. Our allies were his enemies and our enemies were men he admired. https://t.co/dSk1BNKeqy
— No More Plato's Cave (@NoMorePlatosCav) December 13, 2021
Everything you need yo know about this POS https://t.co/HuWdHhSGEv
— Jack Hopkins (@theanxietydoc) December 13, 2021
They were also disturbed that attendees cheered at Trump's sentiment.
Trump’s favorite leaders to deal with are three communist tyrants—one of whom calls the collapse of Communist Russia the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century. And how bizarre that audience members applaud at the mere mention of North Korea’s dictator? How Un-American? https://t.co/exUX9o7Kbj
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 13, 2021
The crowd cheered Kim Jong-un.
That‘s all you need to know. https://t.co/d6sJXDK9w0
— HG Tomato 🍅 Wash Your Hands (@HGTomato) December 13, 2021
It's not unbelievable to hear what this imbecile says. What I find repulsive is how there was a slight cheer when #Trump mentioned Kim Jong-Un. The dictator of North Korea elicited applause. That, alone, tells you enough about #TrumpSupporters. #TraitorsSupportTraitorTrump https://t.co/lQ0iBMGn5O
— Manny 🇺🇸🇵🇹 (@JustCallMeManny) December 14, 2021
Trump has two more appearances with O'Reilly coming up in Texas.
Ash Stanton/Facebook
Laura Sprinkle/Facebook
Akira Karasu/Facebook
Cevanna Gilbert/Facebook
Troy Adam/Facebook
@GovPressOffice/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social