During a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump shared his opinion on who he thinks are the "happiest people in the world right now" after the US mainstream media projected Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 White House race.
"The happiest people in the world right now are the leaders of China," Trump asserted, speaking to his supporters. "The second happiest are the leaders of Iran."
He did not immediately elaborate on why he thinks the way he does, but earlier he repeatedly described the Democratic candidate as being "owned" by China and said that if Biden wins the election, the United States will be owned by China as well.
According to Trump, Biden's family has ties to China, and particularly his son Biden, who the President claimed has been receiving funds from Beijing - something that the Chinese government has denied.
"China owns Joe Biden. His son got a billion and a half dollars. His son with no experience, no brainpower, no anything, never did it, not only Ukraine, he got hundreds of thousands of dollars of money from Ukraine and the upfront payment and then with China he walks up with a billion and half dollars in fees. It's ridiculous," Trump told Fox News in an interview.
A recent scandal over allegations of a so-called "laptop from hell" revolved around claims that Hunter Biden was mediating lucrative business dealings between the Biden family and "the Chinese". Biden Sr. has denied the accusations.
Trump's comments regarding Iran may refer to Biden's suggestion that, if he is elected president, America will re-adopt the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, as long as Tehran returns to its nuclear commitments under the agreement.
Biden voiced his intention to bring the US back to the JCPOA earlier in December, speaking to The New York Times.
"...The last goddamn thing we need in that part of the world is a buildup of nuclear capability ... in consultation with our allies and partners, we’re going to engage in negotiations and follow-on agreements to tighten and lengthen Iran’s nuclear constraints, as well as address the missile programme," the Biden detailed.
The Democratic 2020 presidential candidate pointed out that he will do that on the condition that Tehran returns to the nuclear commitments it stepped away from after Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal in 2018.
After Trump exited the agreement, relations between the US and Iran became strained, with the State Department implementing a so-called 'maximum pressure' campaign against the country and labelling the Islamic republic as "the world's leading state sponsor of terror".
Tensions escalated further when Trump ordered the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani - a move condemned by Tehran and much of the world - which prompted retaliatory strikes by Tehran, targeting US military bases in Iraq that resulted in many US soldiers suffering from brain injuries.
China also does not enjoy warm relations with Trump, as his administration has had Beijing in its cross-hairs over allegations that the PRC downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic and threatened US national security through the adoption of technologies owned by Chinese companies such as Huawei and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.
According to Trump, Huawei should be blocked from the global development of 5G networks based on claims that it threatens the security of nations, and TikTok has allegedly spied on US citizens on behalf of the Chinese government.
Beijing, along with both tech companies, has repeatedly refuted Trump's claims as baseless and politicised.