Donald Trump has mimicked the body language of Asian leaders by hunching his shoulders and nodding his head during a speech on tax reform.
The US president went off-piste while delivering a speech in Missouri on sweeping US tax changes as senators prepare to vote on the Trump administration’s chief legislative priority.
President Trump used the address to launch into a rant about how the US was protecting wealthy Asian countries who could not manage their accumulated wealth.
"When I was in Asia, I spoke to a couple of the countries about it and they looked like this,” the billionaire property developer said.
President Trump then placed his hands in front of his chest, hunched his shoulders and moved his head from side to side in an apparent attempt to mimic Asian political leaders.
The world leader also murmured “mmm” sounds - appearing to imply that Asian heads of states do not speak English.
He said: “You know what this is? Hmm, hmm. That means they know they’re getting away with murder and they got to start helping us out. Okay?"
Before his apparent impersonation, President Trump vented his frustrations about defending Asian countries but failed to name any specific leaders or provide any concrete details.
Flanked by Christmas trees, President Trump said: "We're going to work on trade but we're also going to work on military when we defend nations that are very wealthy. And we do it for almost nothing."
He continued: “I say, why are we defending them? We love them. I won't mention names but there are a lot of them. We love them. They're wealthy. One of them has a cash flow that they say is unsustainable; it's so large. Think of that. How would you like to have an unsustainable cash flow? They don't know what to do with their money. And we defend them.
“It’s going to change folks, we’re going to defend them but they are going to treat us fairly and they are going to pay for their defence.”
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump took a 12-day five-nation tour of Asia earlier this month, meeting leaders from across the region. President Trump branded his trip a “tremendous success” and claimed “America is back” as a global leader.
The US president's mimicking of Asian leaders comes after he was roundly condemned for mocking a disabled reporter during a campaign speech back in November 2015.
Mr Trump imitated Serge Kovaleski, The New York Times’ culture and investigative reporter, during a rally for supporters in South Carolina. Mr Kovaleski suffers from arthrogryposis, a congenital condition affecting how his joints move.
Mr Trump made several offensive gestures while defending a claim he made a few days earlier in which he said he had witnessed thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating on the day of the 9/11 attacks. This claim has reportedly since been discredited by government and law officials who were in New Jersey in the days following the terrorist attack.
A 2001 article written by Mr Kovaleski for the Washington Post had claimed that “authorities detained and questioned a number of people who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river” in Jersey city, within hours of the planes crashing into the World Trade Centre.
But Mr Kovaleski later told CNN: “We did a lot of shoe leather reporting in and around Jersey City and talked to a lot of residents and officials for the broader story. Much of that has, indeed, faded from memory. But I do not recall anyone saying there were thousands, or even hundreds, of people celebrating. That was not the case, as best as I can remember it.”
Mr Trump was referencing these comments during his speech when he impersonated Mr Kovaleski.
He said: “The poor guy. You’ve got to see this guy. Ah, I don’t remember what I said! I don’t remember!”, while jerking his arms and hands in a manner mocking the reporter’s condition.
The Republican's campaign spokeswoman declined to comment on the incident, but another campaign official said he was “not aware of any condition and was not mocking his physical appearance in any way”.
