President Trump on Friday evening joked that he surrounds himself “with losers” because he “like[s] people who listen to my success” in public remarks at a Saudi-backed investment conference.
Trump was responding to a question at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit in Miami about leadership skills he believes are missing in the world.
“Well, it’s winning, you’ve got to win,” the president told the crowd, before adding that there are “mostly losers, fortunately.”
“I always like to hang around losers actually because it makes me feel better,” he continued. “I hate guys that are very, very successful and you have to listen to their success stories. I like people that like to listen to my success.”
Trump added later that he was “only kidding, I want to say that — eh, sort of.”
He made similar comments while on the campaign trail in 2024, telling a crowd of supporters during a rally that does not “like anybody that doesn’t like me” in reference to late-night TV show hosts.
‘I’ll be honest, when they don’t like me, I don’t like them. OK?” Trump said at the time. “Sounds childish… That’s the way it is. Call it a personality defect.”
When asked on Friday to expand on which nations he views as “winners” or “losers,” the president said he “respect[s] China greatly” for its economic prowess.
Trump is scheduled to travel to China in May to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their original meeting was delayed due to the U.S.’s ongoing military operations against Iran.
“You have to have great respect for China for the job they do,” he said. “Like them or not like them, you have to respect them.”
The FII Institute was established by Saudi Arabian royal decree in 2017 to promote global economic growth. The organization’s annual conference in Miami this year hosted top business leaders from around the world.
The president, during his speech at the event, claimed Iran was the “bully no longer” after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on the country a month ago following failed nuclear deal negotiations. The Middle East conflict continues to rage, even as the Trump administration and Tehran officials go back-and-forth on potential terms to end the strikes.
Trump told the Miami crowd on Friday that Iran would have had a nuclear weapon “within two to four weeks” if the U.S. had not “knocked the hell” out of Iran.
“They would have used it on you, and on Israel, and on everyone else,” he added.
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