Trump Jokes He Wants JD Vance to ‘Behave Like’ Quiet Presidential Deputies in China: ‘I’ve Never Seen Men So Scared’

During a recent White House breakfast with Republican senators, President Donald Trump lightheartedly said he admired the discipline of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aides — and joked that he wanted his own Cabinet to behave the same way.

According to a video shared by CNN, Trump, 79, recounted his recent meeting with Xi, describing the Chinese leader as “tough” but “smart,” adding that “at least 1.4 billion people” in China seemed to agree. He then mimed Xi’s aides standing rigidly beside him, saying, “He’s got about six people on each side, and every one of those people, they were standing like this… They were at attention.”

Trump continued the story, explaining that when he tried to speak to members of Xi’s team, “I got no response. I said, ‘Are you going to answer me?’ I got no response. And President Xi didn’t let him have any.”

He then joked, “So if there is any question, I said, ‘I want my Cabinet to behave like that.’ That’s the way I’m demanding… I want them sitting up.” Trump quipped that he had “never seen men so scared in their lives,” noting that even the man who was “the equivalent of a vice president” appeared completely rigid.

Turning to Vice President JD Vance, who was in attendance, Trump added, “Why don’t you behave like that? JD doesn’t behave like that! JD butts into conversations! I want to have that for at least a couple of days. Okay, JD?”

The vice president appeared amused, smiling and laughing along as Trump playfully stood at attention. The lighthearted exchange drew laughter from the room.

Earlier this year, Vance sparked controversy for referring to Chinese people as “peasants” during an interview on Fox & Friends. Discussing U.S. tariffs, Vance, 41, said, “To make it a little more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian condemned the comments during a press briefing, calling them “both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such ignorant and disrespectful remarks,” according to CNN.

The White House has not yet provided clarification on Trump’s remarks.