Dunno. Maybe I'm giving Trump too much credit here.
But, (and I haven't done any research on this),Trump does seem to praise despots he needs something from (and whom he is not willing to bomb, unlike Iran), and he criticizes democratically elected leaders he needs something from. He seems to have decided those are the best ways to manipulate those types of leaders to do what he wants for the benefit of the U.S. Me?...I would be more private in my negotiations, but I'm not Trump.
Remember Biden insulting the Saudi royal family, then flying to Saudi Arabia to unsuccessfully beg that same family for economic oil concessions? Might have turned out better for the United States if Biden had been willing to withstand pressure fron the Left, and treat the Saudi royal family better. His criticism helped him domestically, and it would have been harmless, except for the fact that the U.S. needed something from them. But Biden had already burned that bridge for domestic political power gains.
Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant, then it tries to silence good.