Washington (CNN) A Democratic senator suggested Monday that President Donald Trump might be inspired by North Korea's "dear leader" cult of personality, shortly after Trump quipped that Democrats committed "treason" when they did not applaud his State of the Union.

"Maybe he's been watching too much North Korean television where everybody in the North Korean assembly stands up and they all clap together automatically whenever the dear leader says something," Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview.

Whitehouse's comments followed Trump's assertion that the cold reception he got from Democrats last week was "un-American" and might well be called "treasonous."

"Can we call that treason? Why not," Trump said in Ohio.

Whitehouse said it was Trump's displeasure with people in disagreement with him that was un-American.

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