President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE, while awaiting a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, called for “my favorite dictator,” The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

“Where’s my favorite dictator?” Trump said as at a hotel in Biarritz, France, where the two were reportedly set to meet last month. A group of at least 10 U.S. and three Egyptian officials was reportedly awaiting Sisi’s arrival.

Several American and Egyptian officials who were in the same room as Trump overheard his remark, the Journal reported. It isn’t clear if Sisi was there or if he heard the comment.

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Many said they thought Trump was making a joke, but the comment reportedly prompted silence from the group.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Vulnerable Democrats tell Pelosi COVID-19 compromise 'essential' MORE, former national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonJudge appears skeptical of Bolton's defense of publishing book without White House approval Maximum pressure is keeping US troops in Iraq and Syria Woodward book trails Bolton, Mary Trump in first-week sales MORE and Larry Kudlow Larry KudlowMORE, assistant to the president for economic policy, were in attendance, the Journal reported.

Egypt’s foreign affairs minister and chief of the General Intelligence Service were also said to be present.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Since taking power in 2013, Sisi has come under fire for his authoritarian leadership and has faced accusations of detaining, torturing and killing prisoners who disagreed politically, the Journal noted.

Trump has previously said of Sisi: “We understood each other very well. He’s a very tough man, I will tell you that. But he’s also a good man, and he’s done a fantastic job in Egypt. Not easy.”