Dalai Lama: Donald Trump has 'lack of moral principle,' 'America first ... is wrong'

WASHINGTON – The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of the Tibetan community, commented on recent controversies involving President Donald Trump and immigration in an interview with the BBC published on Thursday. The 83-year-old Buddhist monk is a Nobel laureate for peace and the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism. 

Directly criticizing Trump, the Dalai Lama said that Trump's time in office has been marked by a "lack of moral principle" and added that "America first" was "wrong."  

“One day he says something, another day he says something, but I think lack of moral principle," he said, when asked to comment on Trump's time in office so far. 

In contrast, the Dalai Lama in 2016 said he had "no worries" about Trump's presidency. 

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Referring to the humanitarian crisis on the southern U.S. border, the Dalai Lama said, "When I saw pictures of some of those young children, I was sad." 

He directly addressed the president's 2016 campaign slogan, saying "When he became president he expressed America first. That is wrong,"

"America ... should take a global responsibility," he added. 

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