SINGAPORE: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday (May 31) likened US President Donald Trump to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
In a major speech outlining US strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Hegseth referred to both leaders as “historic men”.
“Like the late prime minister, President Trump’s approach is grounded in common sense and national interests,” he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which gathers key defence leaders from around the world.
Mr Lee served as Singapore’s prime minister for three decades.
Mr Hegseth praised his “sage leadership and strategic vision”.
“That’s what common sense policies can achieve, and that’s precisely what President Trump’s vision is all about.”
Mr Lee, who turned Singapore into a high-tech industrial and financial centre, remains highly revered in Singapore more than a decade after his death.
