North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (right), a 2024 presidential candidate, called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator” in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
“Absolutely,” Burgum told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” when asked if Xi was a dictator.
President Joe Biden recently called Xi a dictator and faced a fierce backlash from the Chinese government, which disputed the description and denied the charge.
“Well, I would call him a brutal dictator. I mean, look at the rights record they have,” Burgum said of China, when asked about the backlash Biden has faced and how he would have handled the situation.
Other Republicans also backed Biden’s portrayal of Xi as a dictator, including former Vice President Mike Pence (R), who is also a presidential candidate and described Biden’s comment as “a statement of fact”.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Tex.) also backed Biden’s label for Xi and said in a statement, according to reports, “Biden is right: Xi is a dictator. , and we should treat it as such”.
Burgum, a longtime contender, launched his bid for the Republican presidential nomination last month. His speech focused primarily on his business background and emphasized the need to focus on economics rather than cultural issues.
“The economy must be our top priority,” Burgum said last month in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “We need to control inflation, cut taxes, lower gas prices and lower the cost of living.”
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming videos, head to The Hill.