This is fascinating. In 1990, Trump did an interview with Playboy magazine. He glorified the Chinese government's response to protests.

"You mean firm hand as in China?
When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak ... as being spit on by the rest of the world—"

https://www.ebroadsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/playboy-interview-donald-trump-1990