‘I want them to be like Xi’s staff’: Trump wants JD Vance to be like China’s yes men

US President Donald Trump has admonished his Cabinet for having opinions and having the audacity to speak in his presence.

Trump praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s top aides for being so afraid of their boss that they would not speak in his presence. He said that’s how he would like his Cabinet to be.

Trump singled out Vice President JD Vance for butting into conversations and said that his Chinese equivalent would not speak a single word in Xi’s presence even when directly addressed.

“So, he’s [Xi] here and he’s got about six people on each side and every one of those people was standing like this. They were in attention and I made a comment to one of them and it got no response. I said, ‘Are you going to answer me?’ I got no response and President Xi didn’t let him have any. So, if there’s any question, I said, I want my cabinet to behave like that. That’s the way I’m demanding,” said Trump.

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Trump recounted this incident from his summit with Xi last week in South Korea — the same summit in which he agreed to a deal on Xi’s terms and elevated China as the equal of the United States in the new ‘G-2’ arrangement.

Trump wants Vance to be like Xi’s ‘yes man’ deputy

Trump said that he directly addressed the Chinese equivalent of the vice president, but the man did not reply at all in Xi’s presence.

Continued the praise for Xi and his yes men, Trump said that’s now Vance would behave around him.

“They have the equivalent — the equivalent of a vice president. I said, ‘Are you going to answer my question?’ And he’s like, he doesn’t move. I said, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ I will answer all questions. Why don’t you behave like that? JD doesn’t behave like that. JD buts into conversations. What I want to have is to have that for at least a couple of days. Okay, JD?” said Trump.

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As a consolation prize for Vance, Trump added, “We’ll keep you long term, but a couple of days of that would a couple of days of that would be very, very nice.”

Trump also showered praise on Xi, calling him a “really a friend of mine, as much as he can be a friend”.

“He’s a tough man, a smart man, actually very smart,” said Trump.