Donald Trump has praised the Chinese government over Tiananmen Square as well as Kim Jong-un

An old interview with Donald Trump in Playboy magazine from 1990 has re-surfaced due to his controversial comments about Tiananmen square.

When the now-Republican presidential frontrunner was asked his impression of the Soviet Union, the then-43-year-old replied:

I was very unimpressed... Russia is out of control and the leadership knows it. That's my problem with Gorbachev. Not a firm enough hand.

He was asked whether he meant a "firm hand as in China?", to which Trump replied:

When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak... as being spit on by the rest of the world.

Trump, of course, referring to the Tiananmen Square massacre in which hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were killed by a military presence of as many as 10,000 troops accompanied by tanks.

Trump continued to predict that Gorbachev would be "overthrown" because "he has shown extraordinary weakness."

The comments came to light again this week after Trump praised the leadership style of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, whose country announced earlier this month that it had conducted its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb.

Trump said at a political rally in Iowa:

You've got to give him credit. How many young guys (he was like 26 or 25 when his father died) take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden... he goes in, he takes over, he's the boss.

It's incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one. This guy doesn't play games.

His comments appear to be in reference to the disappearance of Jang Song-taek, who married the sister of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father and predecessor.

Jang was stripped of all his positions after accusations of being a counter-revolutionary and his execution was announced following a military tribunal, shortly after Kim Jong-un's ascension to the position of supreme leader.