Trump Asked Which World Leader He Admires Most, He Picks PM Modi, Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump has identified Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as the world leaders he most admires. In an interview with Axios, Trump described Xi as "all business" and called PM Modi "a very tough cookie".

The 80-year-old made the remarks on "The Axios Show" on Thursday, shortly after returning from a G7 summit in France that he described as "very dominant". He declined to name any leaders he considers the weakest. He then turned to the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin from the G7, noting that the group had been the G8 before Russia's expulsion following its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Trump also highlighted French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to host a dinner for him at Versailles, describing the imperial setting as "my weakness". During the interview, Trump said he had discovered "no limits" to his power since the confrontation with Iran. A forthcoming book reveals he has entertained an even larger claim: that he may be the most powerful man in history.

In the soon-to-be-released book Regime Change by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump is reported to have examined a document comparing his power favourably to that of historical figures including Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler.

According to the authors, he read from the document, reciting the names and explaining how each fell short compared with his own position as US president. He reportedly noted that earlier leaders lacked modern advantages such as aeroplanes. The book describes the evident pleasure Trump took in the company of Mao, Hitler and Stalin, and the ease with which he placed himself among those who reshaped the world through conquest and fear.

The document, which Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday, concludes that his willingness to use power on a global scale makes him by far the most powerful person who has ever lived. The authors identify its writer not as a presidential historian, as Trump suggested, but as a longtime caddy and personal confidant to golfer Gary Player.

In the Axios interview, Trump repeatedly assessed power in terms of submission. He said G7 leaders accepted his joke that "I'm the boss", and that Israel has "a lot of respect for me" and will "do as I say". He claimed, "If it weren't for me, Israel would not exist today." 

He described his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane". Trump took a similar tone towards Republican critics angered by his Iran policy, saying some former allies were "hardliners" whom he no longer respected. He insisted the outcome with Iran amounted to "unconditional surrender" and "regime change", despite falling short of his initial demands.