President Donald Trump of the United States has said he does not need international law, claiming that his powers are limited only by his own idea of what is right and wrong.
In an interview with the New York Times, the US leader said the only limit on his power as president is “my own morality and my own mind.”
He added, “It’s the only thing that can stop me. I’m not trying to hurt anyone.
He said, “I do” when asked if his administration needed to follow international law, but then explained that “it depends on how you define international law.”
Talking to the newspaper as his administration looks into “a range of options” to gain control of Greenland, Trump also stressed the importance of ownership.
“Ownership is really important,” Trump said, adding, “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success.
“I believe that when you own something, you have a right that you don’t get if you just rent it or agree to a treaty. Ownership gives you certain rights and parts that you can’t get just by signing a paper.”
Trump also said he did not think his decision to remove Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s leader would create a situation where China could take over Taiwan or Russia could take control of Ukraine.
To justify the US’s attacks on Venezuela, Trump again claimed that Maduro was accused of sending gang members into the United States.
“This was a real threat… You weren’t witnessing people rushing into China. You didn’t have drugs pouring into China. You didn’t experience all the difficult things that we have experienced. You didn’t open up the jails in Taiwan and let people come into China. No criminals were flowing into Russia.”
He said he does not think Chinese President Xi Jinping will take control of Taiwan, “That’s up to him, what he’s going to be doing.”
“I let him know I would be very upset if he did that, and I don’t think he will do it. I hope he doesn’t. He might take that action once we have a new president, but I don’t think he’ll do it while I’m in charge.”
Trump’s latest interview comes as tensions increase in the country, especially after ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, which sparked large protests.
This is also as the US relations with European allies worsen over Trump’s possible plan to take control of Greenland.