Donald Trump has declared himself “the Chosen One” while defending his administration’s decision to continue the trade war with China - turning to the sky as he made the grandiose statement.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, the US president sought to distance himself from the mounting economic damage of his battle with China, which has brought fears the US is on the brink of a recession.
Instead, he argued that he is solving problems left for him by his predecessors.
He said: “Somebody said this is Trump’s trade war. It’s not my trade war. This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago by a lot of other presidents.
“Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one. Somebody had to do it, so I took on China. I took on China on trade, and you know what? We’re winning.”
His comments come after he cancelled a visit to Denmark after the controversy over his proposal to buy Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Trump had said on Sunday that he was interested in buying the vast island of Greenland, which sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority for his government.
Martin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was “a diplomatic farce” and called Trump’s behaviour “grotesque”.