Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad is the latest in Donald Trump’s love affairs with strongman nation leaders.
Assad — who has murdered hundreds of thousands of his own citizens and tortured many more — told NBC News’ Bill Neely on Wednesday that Trump’s lack of foreign policy experience is no big deal.
“Who had this experience before? Obama? Or George Bush? Or Clinton before? None of them had any experience,” Assad answered when asked if Trump’s inexperience worried him.
“This is the problem with the United States,” he said. “You have to look for a statesman who has real experience in politics for years. Not because, to have position in Congress for few years, or minister of foreign affairs, for example, that doesn’t help you have the experience.”
But even the well-known human rights abuser admits there’s something worrisome about a Trump presidency in more general terms. “If anyone who doesn’t have experience in any position, a White House, or in the presidential palace in Syria, in other countries, of course it is dangerous for the country generally,” Assad said.
Trump had some nice things to say about the brutal mass murderer back in September, when he told Fox News that the Assad was “getting an A” in leadership while “our president is not doing so well.”
The Republican nominee has expressed positive views of many repressive and murderous leaders. He praised Saddam Hussein earlier this month, because he was “so good” at killing terrorists, and has stated that he thinks he’ll get along “fine” with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s also shown respect to Kim Jung Un, whom he said deserved “credit” for taking over his father’s post as North Korea’s dictator at a young age. “It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one. I mean, this guy doesn’t play games. And we can’t play games with him.” he said.
Photo: Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais in Damascus, in this handout picture provided by SANA on February 20, 2016. Picture taken February 20, 2016. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters
