After President Donald Trump welcomed Azerbaijan's leader into the White House, he was clearly impressed by the fact that he's ruled the country for almost 22 years.
However, President Ilham Aliyev has long been accused of being a dictator, which is leading people to question the 79-year-old POTUS' unsettling response to his counterpart's time at the helm of his country.
The 63-year-old Azerbaijani was welcomed to the White House for a peace summit to sign an agreement with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to end decades of conflict.
As for where America ties into all this, the deal will create a major transit corridor to be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity - with the US reopening key transportation routes, allowing the Americans to seize on Russia’s declining influence in the region.
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Anyway, on Friday last week (August 8), Trump asked Aliyev how long he has been in power - to which he replied: "It’s been 22 years."
Trump then replied: "22 years, that's pretty good."
He then turned to attendees in the audience, adding: "That means he’s tough and smart."
Since then, Trump has shown he can be 'tough' after rolling out a militant-style crackdown on the homeless in Washington, D.C. as well as criminals.
He has deployed the National Guard in the nation's capital, while also taking control of Washington's police force - moves that have seen him being criticized for his use of power.
"Already they're saying, 'He's a dictator.' The place is going to hell, and we've got to stop it," Trump said per NBC News.
"So instead of saying 'he's a dictator', they should say, 'We're going to join him and make Washington safe'."
It all started after Trump took to Truth Social to post: "I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.
"The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong."
He continued: "We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months. This will be easier - Be prepared!"
He also shared four images to illustrate his message, including two images of what appears to be tents for rough sleepers on grassy verges by the road, as well as garbage on the streets of the city.
"There will be no 'MR. NICE GUY.' We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he concluded.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Joe Yates