Trump has called Egypt junta leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi his “faourite dictator” and lauded him as a “great leader”. However, according to Elisa Epstein in a post in Human Rights Watch, protests in Egypt show that Trump is wrong.

At the United Nations General Assembly meetings this week, US President Donald Trump praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a “great leader” who has brought Egypt out of “turmoil.” A few weeks earlier Trump reportedly referred to al-Sisi as “my favorite dictator.”

Trump’s praise came days after widespread protests erupted in numerous Egyptian cities after an Egyptian contractor, who had worked with Egypt’s top brass for years, posted videos on social media detailing alleged corruption in al-Sisi’s inner circle.

In the meeting with Trump, al-Sisi blamed the protests on “political Islam,” but the slogans and chants had nothing to do with Islam. The protests appeared to be sparked by allegations of corruption; harsh suppression of civil society; the military’s abusive campaign in the Sinai; the massive incarceration of dissidents; and impoverishment blamed on al-Sisi’s economic policies.

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