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Trump’s Comment About Chinese Government at Tiananman Square: The ‘Strongman’ America Needs?
Independent Journal ^ | Kyle Becker

Posted on 02/28/2016 9:24:42 AM PST by dead

In a 1990 Playboy interview, Trump has unexpected support for the Chinese response to the Tiananmen Square uprising.

Trump also had some withering criticism of the Soviet Union’s former leader Mikhail Gorbachev for not being “firm” enough.

Here’s a transcript:

What were your other impressions of the Soviet Union?

I was very unimpressed. Their system is a disaster. What you will see there soon is a revolution; the signs are all there with the demonstrations and picketing. Russia is out of control and the leadership knows it. That’s my problem with Gorbachev. Not a firm enough hand.

You mean firm hand as in China?

When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak … as being spit on by the rest of the world–

Why is Gorbachev not firm enough?

I predict he will be overthrown, because he has shown extraordinary weakness. Suddenly, for the first time ever, there are coal-miner strikes and brush fires everywhere- which will all ultimately lead to a violent revolution. Yet Gorbachev is getting credit for being a wonderful leader and we should continue giving him credit, because he’s destroying the Soviet Union. But his giving an inch is going to end up costing him and all his friends what they most cherish-their jobs.


(Excerpt) Read more at ijreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: trump
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I remember the early days of Free Republic, protesting in front of the White House, chanting for Al Gore to "Get Out of Cheney's House", I personally got in Hillary's face repeatedly in NYC with a gang of Freepers and told her she should be in prison.

Now, so many here are supporting a guy who admires the Chinese strong hand at Tiananmen Square.

Thousands died in that massacre. Just people protesting their government "but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength."

1 posted on 02/28/2016 9:24:42 AM PST by dead
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To: dead

Trump was prescient about Gorbachev... going, going, gone.

In 1990, no one predicted within a year the Soviet Union would crack up and disappear and Gorbachev would be out of a job.

Was Trump a prophet or what?


2 posted on 02/28/2016 9:30:42 AM PST by goldstategop (990)
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To: goldstategop
That's your take-away? Praise for Trump?

And everybody knew at that time Gorbachev's leadership was failing. Trump and everybody else. Common knowledge prophet. Impressive.

3 posted on 02/28/2016 9:36:28 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Carl Grimes.)
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To: dead

In the end, it will come down to either Trump or Cruz. The others are done.


4 posted on 02/28/2016 9:37:17 AM PST by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: dead

Now, so many here are supporting a guy who admires the Chinese strong hand at Tiananmen Square.


Yep. And there are even a (very) few people here supporting the Senator who stood with the most lawless POTUS in history and Goldman Sachs against us on one of the great issues of our time, Obamatrade. Strange times, indeed.


5 posted on 02/28/2016 9:39:05 AM PST by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: dead

Now, so many here are supporting a guy who admires the Chinese strong hand at Tiananmen Square.

“When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength.

That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak … as being spit on by the rest of the world–”
___________________________________________________

Is reading comprehension a lost art?

He saw what the Chinese did, which he said “they were vicious, they were horrible”, and cited how we are seen as weak compared to China which isnt afraid to show their strength by doing terrible things to their people.

Guess what? By America continuously sliding down the hole, WE ARE NOW facing a China that is even stronger, and we are at our weakest in 60 years!

He isnt saying that the American government should do what China did then. Good lord, grasping straw stocks must be at 40 year highs by Monday.


6 posted on 02/28/2016 9:39:33 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: VanDeKoik
I know exactly what he said. My reading comprehension is perfect. He admires their determination to kill their citizens to enforce their political strength. And you're agreeing with his call for shows of such strength by a future Trump government, while acting all Claude Raines innocent.

You imagine the tanks will be on your side, but you'll just be grease for the treads.

7 posted on 02/28/2016 9:46:28 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Carl Grimes.)
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To: goldstategop
According to the article, Trump said about Gorbachev: "But his [Gorbachev] giving an inch is going to end up costing him and all his friends what they most cherish-their jobs."

Donald Trump has no sense of morality or even history. It's inconceivable to Trump that Gorbachev cherished something more than holding onto his job. The fall of the Soviet Union was inevitable, and Gorbachev succeeded in arranging events in a way that avoided massive bloodshed.

Contrast that with China and the Tiananmen massacre, which Trump apparently admires. And we know that Trump also admires Putin's strong-man "leadership".

How any conservative can vote for this man is beyond me.

8 posted on 02/28/2016 9:46:44 AM PST by Persephone Kore
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To: lodi90

Yeah, change the subject, serf.


9 posted on 02/28/2016 9:46:53 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Carl Grimes.)
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To: dead

“I know exactly what he said. My reading comprehension is perfect.”

Yeah, because Trump totally said that he applauds the Chinese for what happened there. That’s totally what he said.

Oddly enough NO ONE picked up on that (((BACK IN 1990))), just out of the blue, some dope scraping for something to use against Trump, just happens to unearth this double supper secret praise Trump supposedly had for Communist China.

Yeah, your comprehension is stellar.

“He admires their determination to kill their citizens to enforce their political strength”

Ok.... go mail that to Rubio and tell him to run on that.


10 posted on 02/28/2016 9:52:06 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: VanDeKoik

Wow, you lost it. You’re sputtering and your post makes absolutely no sense outside of your head. Double supper. Good stuff, though.


11 posted on 02/28/2016 9:54:00 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Carl Grimes.)
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To: dead

Yeah, change the subject, serf.


LOL. You’re the one changing the subject. Hot air from a private citizen from 25 years ago is important but the Obama enabling actions of a sitting GOP U. S. Senator are not? LMAO.


12 posted on 02/28/2016 9:55:14 AM PST by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: Persephone Kore

“Donald Trump has no sense of morality or even history. It’s inconceivable to Trump that Gorbachev cherished something more than holding onto his job”

And in 1990 you totally knew this? I can guarantee you that no person without intelligence briefings would know what his thinking was.

He was running the USSR at the time of this interview, like what sane person would think that the head of it was doing anything for warm fuzzy reasons?


13 posted on 02/28/2016 9:57:17 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: dead

Actually, that post does make sense.

I too saw that as Trump championing China for the way they crushed their citizens, just as you did.


14 posted on 02/28/2016 9:59:22 AM PST by Balding_Eagle ( The Great Wall of Trump ---- 100% sealing of the border. Coming soon.)
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To: dead
"Wow, you lost it. You’re sputtering and your post makes absolutely no sense outside of your head."

For the folks reading, this is the part where the poster above realizes that he has no more argument, so they then veer into ascribing "craziness" to the other person in hopes of scaring that person from the discussion for fear of not wanting to be seen as "crazy".

Double supper. Good stuff, though.

This is, I suppose, is the attempt at sarcasm.
15 posted on 02/28/2016 10:01:05 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: dead

Trump has yet to meet a tyrant that he can’t find more good to say about than bad.


16 posted on 02/28/2016 10:01:55 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: VanDeKoik

That’s what I got out of it. Trump was stating that strength is power. The Chinese version is violent oppression. It doesn’t follow that he thinks the method is to be followed here.

Trump was a public figure for decades who has never spoken through a PC, sanitized filter. If this is the best they can find, he’s OK.

One good thing about this GOPe frenzy to smear Trump. If he survives it and becomes the nominee, a lot of Hillary’s arrows will be gone from her quiver and tossed into the “old news” pile.

And no, I’m not advocating shooting Trump with a bow and arrow, in case thirty years from now an oppo researcher finds this post.


17 posted on 02/28/2016 10:06:34 AM PST by M1911A1
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To: VanDeKoik

Fair enough, but what excuses Trump’s defense of Tiananman? And his admiration for Putin?

These are the positions of somebody who supports a very strong top-down government. Not a conservative, who would want government to get out of the way so that the multitude of ideas in the marketplace could be heard and acted upon by individuals.


18 posted on 02/28/2016 10:07:46 AM PST by Persephone Kore
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To: dead

I remember the Freeps against the ChiCom leader and Clinton for being bought off by ChiCom agents.


19 posted on 02/28/2016 10:09:29 AM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Persephone Kore

You said...
“How any conservative can vote for this man is beyond me. “

Because they are not conservatives. They are praying for an authoritarian strong man to guide them. They want someone who will punish anyone who stands in the way on their march to a Trump Utopia.

By now, it’s painfully obvious Trump wants a powerful, centralized government and too many are willing to give him that all for the vague promise of a wall


20 posted on 02/28/2016 10:14:23 AM PST by LMAO ("Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more" Anthem by Rush)
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