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Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - John Podesta Statement on Trump's Disqualifying Foreign Policy

May 20, 2016

Today, Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta released the following statement on Donald Trump's disqualifying foreign policy, which was on full display in interviews this morning on Fox & Friends and Morning Joe:

"Every time Donald Trump opens his mouth, he makes it even more clear that he doesn't have the qualifications or the temperament to be our Commander-in-Chief. His interviews this morning were especially revealing, and even unhinged at times.

He once again claimed that he can't share his great foreign policy ideas because he wants unpredictability. He aggressively defended his Muslim ban. He lied about his own record, claiming he opposed the Libya intervention and Iraq War -- both of which he supported at the outset. And he demonstrated once again his dangerous penchant for going ballistic on anyone who disapproves of his proposals. Rather than taking seriously criticism from former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates -- one of America's most well-respected foreign policy minds -- Trump responded with a long tirade attacking Gates. This is the same petulance that was on display when he recently cast doubt on our special relationship with the UK simply because David Cameron and London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized his proposed Muslim ban, challenging the latter to an IQ test.

This is not how presidents behave. We can't afford to have a Commander-in-Chief who has no understanding of foreign policy, who has no coherent agenda, and who wants to go to war every time someone says a mean thing about him. As Hillary Clinton said yesterday, Donald Trump is simply not qualified for the job he seeks. This is not about ideology -- it's about responsible leadership. Anyone who is serious about our national security, regardless of their party, should not stand with Donald Trump."

 

Background:

VIDEO: Trump falsely claims he opposed Libya intervention, Iraq War

 

  • BuzzFeed: In 2002, Donald Trump Said He Supported Invading Iraq
  • Washington Post Fact-Checker: Trump's false claim that he opposed the Iraq war: "To sum up, there is absolutely no evidence that Trump opposed the war in Iraq. In fact, he certainly indicated he was in favor of it. Just weeks after the invasion, he praised it as a 'tremendous success.'"

 

  • BuzzFeed: Trump Claims He Didn't Support Libya Intervention — But He Did, On Video

VIDEO: Trump aggressively defends Muslim Ban

 

  • Washington Post: Experts: Trump's Muslim entry ban idea 'ridiculous,' 'unconstitutional'
  • Huffington Post: Terrorism Expert Calls Out Donald Trump For Feeding ISIS Propaganda: "Donald Trump right now is validating the cartoonish view that [ISIS] tells their operatives and that they tell their terrorists that the United States is a racist nation — xenophobic, anti-Muslim — and that that's why you must carry out terrorist attacks against them in defense of their version of Islam."

VIDEO: Trump's tirade against former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

  • Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin: Robert Gates vs. Donald Trump: "It's approaching the time, however, when former Cabinet officials, national security advisers and chiefs of staff need to speak out. It is unfortunate that they did not before Trump eliminated his Republican competitors, but it is not too late to warn the general electorate and thereby stave off disaster. We are talking about someone unfit to have his finger on the button, for goodness' sake."

 

  • Washington Post: "Trump Says He Expects Poor Relationship With UK Leader."

 

VIDEO: Trump says he has definite foreign policy ideas but he'd rather not tell what they are

  • May, 2015 - Donald Trump: "I do know what to do, and I would know how to bring ISIS to the table or, beyond that, defeat ISIS very quickly. And I'm not gonna tell you what it is tonight."

 

Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - John Podesta Statement on Trump's Disqualifying Foreign Policy Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/318856

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