Trump Brutally Roasted For Praising ‘Highly Respected’ Despot — Widely Known As ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Donald Trump sparked a wave of anger and shock on Friday when he praised Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko ahead of his meeting in Alaska with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

“I had a wonderful talk with the highly respected President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. The purpose of the call was to thank him for the release of 16 prisoners. We are also discussing the release of 1,300 additional prisoners. Our conversation was a very good one. We discussed many topics, including President Putin’s visit to Alaska. I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” wrote Trump on Truth Social Friday morning.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has ruled his country with an iron fist, resulting in him being widely known as “Europe’s last dictator.” He has long been accused of egregious human rights abuses, with the UN arguing in February that his government has committed “crimes against humanity.”

A UN report on the situation in Belarus recently “found that men and women in detention had been routinely subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including beatings, electric shocks and threats to rape not only detainees but their partners as well. Security forces displayed marked brutality towards LGBTIQ+ individuals, using physical violence and dehumanizing language.”

Trump’s post calling Lukashenko “highly respected” quickly sparked condemnation, and led to critics pointing out the Belarusian leader’s role in aiding Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, but also Trump’s own State Department refusing to acknowledge Lukashenko’s legitimacy during his first term.

CNN’s Aaron Blake noted, “The Trump State Department in 2020 said it did not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus, citing a rigged election. Today, Trump calls Lukashenko ‘the highly respected President of Belarus.’”

British author and military pundit Shaun Pinner noted, “Lukashenko let Russia use his country as a launchpad for this war. Yes, I support prisoner releases, but why were they jailed in the first place? Trump calls him ‘Highly Respected’ while endorsing the dregs of humanity and an illegal president who only clung to power after a rigged 2020 election and a mass uprising nearly toppled him. Bizarre.”

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