House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused President Joe Biden of "projecting weakness" following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, reported The Hill.
In an interview with the "Cats and Cosby" radio show hosted by John Catsimatidis on Friday, Johnson said, "Anyone who looks at this objectively has to agree that President Biden is projecting weakness on the world stage. I am from the [former President Ronald] Reagan school. He always said we maintain peace through strength. He was exactly right.
"If you project weakness, you invite aggression. It's a dangerous time right now to be inviting aggression on our country. That's why you see China, Iran, Russia, all of our adversaries around the world ... being very provocative."
He did not spare criticism for American tech CEOs either, taking issue with their warm reception of Xi at a dinner hosted on Thursday.
"I thought it was shameful that we gave standing ovations ... by these CEOs of tech companies to a Communist leader of a nation that persecutes its own people, [that's] causing havoc around the world and is trying to be a peer-to-peer adversary with the United States. This is not a game, and we have to take it very seriously."
During the summit on Wednesday, tensions flared as Biden and Xi engaged in a verbal exchange over policy concerning Taiwan. Despite the heated exchange, both leaders expressed a willingness to explore opportunities for economic collaboration.
The controversy escalated when Biden labeled Xi a "dictator" during a subsequent press conference.
"Look, he is. He's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that is based on a form of government totally different from ours," Biden told reporters.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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