Dalai Lama says Trump has a ‘lack of moral principle’

The Dalai Lama accused President Donald Trump of having a “lack of moral principle” during a television interview that aired Thursday in which the Tibetan spiritual leader also voiced renewed concerns about Trump’s “America first” policies.

Speaking to the BBC, the Dalai Lama described Trump’s emotions as a “little bit too complicated.”

“One day he says something, another day he says something, but I think lack of moral principle,” said the 83-year-old Buddhist monk, who is known for his advocacy of nonviolence, peaceful coexistence and human rights.

The Dalai Lama also renewed his objections to Trump’s use of the term “America first” to describe his global policies.

“When he become president, he expressed, ‘America first.’ That is wrong,” the Dalai Lama said. “America, they should take the global responsibility.”

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, expressed similar concerns during a conference in northern India in 2017.

He also offered a less-than-flattering impression of Trump while he was a Republican presidential candidate in 2016, seemingly mocking his hair and mouth. But after his election, the Dalai Lama said he had “no worries” about a Trump presidency.

Trump has had little to say about the Dalai Lama in recent years, though he quoted him on Twitter on several occasions before running for office.

In 2012, for example, Trump shared this with his followers: “I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest.”