President Donald Trump praised Egypt’s leader, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, for his tough approach to crime during a quick press event on Monday ahead of the start of his peace summit to end the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“So there’s a lot of respect, and I think you’ll see some tremendous progress, both in the Middle East. This country is doing very well. It has good leadership,” Trump said of Sisi, who came to power following a coup in 2013 and has since been accused of widespread oppression and anti-democratic tactics. Trump continued:
It’s about leadership, and it’s really nice when you say, “How is your crime situation?” and they don’t even know what you’re talking about. “What do you mean crime? We don’t have crime.”Because if they have it, they put it out very quickly. Some people think that’s not nice, but I think it’s great, because people don’t want to be mugged and smashed, and they don’t want to be stupid people. They have a place that is doing very well. We’re very proud of them, because we knew each other from the beginning.The first time I met—it was in a hotel, and I was going to meet him, and then Hillary Clinton was following me. Remember Hillary Clinton? And he liked me so much, he
never even got to see Hillary. He saw her for about two seconds, but he didn’t really want to waste a lot of time. He knew what was going to happen.But that was the first time we met, and we had a very good chemistry together, and it continues till today. So I want to thank you all very much. I appreciate the way you covered this really momentous—I’ve never said anything like it—the level of love, the level of respect for what it is. And it’s, you know, it’s peace in the Middle East, and everybody said it’s not possible to do.
Human Rights Watch writes of Sisi’s government that as it “entered its second decade in power by continuing wholesale repression, systematically detaining and punishing peaceful critics and activists, and effectively criminalizing peaceful dissent. Authorities detained and prosecuted dozens of protesters and activists, including at Palestine solidarity demonstrations. Thousands of detainees remained locked up in dire conditions in lengthy pretrial detention or on sentences stemming from unjust trials.”
Furthermore, crime in Egypt remains an issue. The State Department warns Americans to “exercise increased caution’ while in the country due to crime, noting, “Most crimes against foreigners are crimes of opportunity, like purse snatching and pickpocketing. Harassment of women, including foreigners, is a problem in Egypt. It can include vulgar comments, gestures, indecent exposure, and unwanted physical contact.”
Watch the clip above via Fox News.