From Khashoggi to Duterte: Examining Trump’s global human rights record

Jamal Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, has criticized former President Donald Trump for defending Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, years after the 2018 killing of her late husband, a Washington Post journalist, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

She said Trump's remarks "minimized the murder" and continued to shield the Crown Prince from accountability, reports CNN.

During a recent meeting with Prince bin Salman, Trump defended the Saudi leader, telling reporters, "You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that," when a journalist raised the topic. He added, "Whether you liked him or didn't like him, things happen," and affirmed that the Crown Prince "knew nothing about it." Opening the meeting, Trump also stated, "What he's done is incredible, in terms of human rights and everything else."

Prioritizing geopolitical relationships
Trump's approach to foreign policy frequently prioritized strategic and geopolitical relationships over human rights concerns. Sources suggest that, unlike previous US presidents who often emphasized human rights even while maintaining strategic alliances, Trump showed "an almost complete lack of interest in even pretending that he's factoring human rights into that equation." This pattern was evident in multiple global contexts:

• Saudi Arabia: Shielding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Khashoggi's murder.
   
• Belarus: Referring to Aleksandr Lukashenko, widely criticized for election rigging and repression, as a "highly respected President," despite the State Department declining to recognize his legitimacy in 2020.
   
• China: Allegedly encouraging Xi Jinping to continue building detention camps for Uyghur Muslims, according to John Bolton; the account was denied by then-US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Praising effectiveness and "toughness"
Trump often commended leaders accused of extrajudicial killings or authoritarian tactics for their perceived effectiveness:

• Philippines (Rodrigo Duterte): Trump congratulated Duterte on his drug war, calling it "an unbelievable job on the drug problem."
   
• Iraq (Saddam Hussein): Trump praised Hussein's extrajudicial killings, stating, "He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists — over."
   
• North Korea (Kim Jong Un): Trump referred to Kim as "a tough guy" despite reports of executions.

Moral equivalence and the downplaying abuses
Trump frequently employed moral equivalence to deflect criticism of foreign leaders:

• Russia (Vladimir Putin): Responding to a claim that Putin was "a killer," Trump said, "There are a lot of killers… You think our country's so innocent?"
   
• North Korea (Kim Jong Un): When pressed on Kim doing "some really bad things," Trump stated, "Yeah, but so have a lot of other people done some really bad things. I mean, I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done."
   
• Khashoggi Murder: He described the journalist as "extremely controversial," downplaying the severity of the murder by adding, "Whether you liked him or didn't like him, things happen." This approach contrasted sharply with bipartisan condemnation from the US Senate, which voted unanimously to denounce the Saudi Crown Prince's involvement.

Trump's rhetoric and approach diverged from the traditional US foreign policy stance, which typically balances strategic interests with public commitments to human rights. Previous presidents often emphasized human rights through diplomatic statements and symbolic pressure, even while maintaining essential relationships.

Trump, by contrast, frequently praised or legitimized leaders accused of severe abuses, minimized atrocities, and employed moral equivalence, thereby reducing international scrutiny or accountability.