US President Donald Trump joked Wednesday while recounting a recent meeting with Xi Jinping’s delegation that he wanted a cabinet that behaved like the Chinese president’s team.
Speaking at a breakfast at the White House where senators gathered, the US president spoke of how tense Xi Jinping’s team was during a bilateral meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Malaysia.
“I’ve never seen a man so scared in my life,” Trump said, recalling how the Chinese side sat during the talks.
“President Xi is a tough man, a smart man,” Trump added.
The president went on to say that he wants his cabinet to behave like this, saying, “I demand it and I want them to sit like this, just nice and straight. I’ve never seen men so scared in my life.”
Trump went on to note that when he asked the equivalent of the vice president if he would answer his question, he didn’t budge.
“JD (Vice President Vance) doesn’t act like that, he engages in conversations. I want to have it for at least a few days. JD, we’re going to keep you for the long haul,” Trump said.
Earlier in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I had a really great meeting with President Xi of China. There is tremendous respect between our two countries and that will only be strengthened by what just happened. We agreed on many things, while others, even very important ones, were very close to being resolved.”
Trump also announced that Washington and Beijing had reached a one-year trade pact that would cut tariffs on Chinese imports from 57 percent to 47 percent.
Will the government shutdown end?
Meanwhile, Trump urged Republican senators to end the filibuster rule in an effort to end the longest government shutdown in history.
A filibuster requires 60 of the Senate’s 100 members to agree on most legislation before it can pass.
“We have to open the country up. And the way we’re going to do that this afternoon is to end the filibuster,” Trump told Senators.
“It’s possible that you won’t do it, and I’ll follow your wishes. You’re very smart people, you’re good friends, but I think it’s a huge mistake,” Trump said. “That would be a tragic mistake. Actually, it’s about time.”
It is now in its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set during Trump’s first term.
