Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper James Robert ClapperOn China, Biden is no Nixon — and no Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report - Speculation over Biden's running mate announcement Trump slams former intelligence officials to explain 'reluctance to embrace' agencies MORE said President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE "wasn't joking" when said he wants "his people" to listen to him the way North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's people listen to him.

While speaking to The Harvard Gazette, Clapper said nothing disturbed him more in his employment with the U.S. government, where he worked in intelligence for more than 50 years, than hearing Trump ask Russian intelligence to attack his political opponent during the 2016 election.

“In all that time in intelligence, in one capacity or another, I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff, but never anything to disturb me as much as what I came to understand, comprehend, what the Russians were doing to meddle in the fundamental pillars of our political system,” Clapper said. “So when [candidate Trump] was exhorting an adversary of ours — which, in my mind, is the primary threat these days — to help him by going and finding allegedly 30,000 missing emails of Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida The Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day More than 50 Latino faith leaders endorse Biden MORE, that to me is unconscionable and inappropriate and unheard of.”

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In response to Clapper, the publication brought up that the fact that president later claimed he was joking, a prospect Clapper dismissed.





“He wasn’t joking any more than he was joking that he wants American citizens to behave like North Koreans do for leader Kim Jong Un,” Clapper said. “He wasn’t joking about that either.”

Earlier this month, Trump drew criticism after saying he wanted citizens to behave for him like North Koreans do for Kim.

"Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same," Trump said during an interview with “Fox & Friends.”

Speaking to reporters after the Fox interview, Trump was pressed on what he meant by his people" and "my people.”

"I was kidding," he said. "You don't understand sarcasm."