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News Foreign Policy Wednesday, Jul 6 2016

Trump's Been A Fan Of Saddam Hussein For At Least 12 Years

Jul 06, 2016

Last night, Donald Trump — who’s repeatedly praised Vladimir Putin and said “you gotta give” Kim Jong-un “credit” — complimented Saddam Hussein’s leadership and abysmal lack of due process during his dictatorial regime.

Hussein was, of course, a dictator, “who maintained a vice-grip on power, in part by financing terrorism, torturing opponents, and targeting minorities.”

But the thing is, Trump’s praise of Hussein is nothing new — he’s been talking up Saddam since at least 2004, when he said, “Look at that country, do you think a regular guy…there’s usually a reason why a country’s run a certain way.”

Timeline: Trump’s Praise Of Saddam Hussein And The Lack Of Due Process During Hussein’s Regime:

  • April 2004: “[Saddam Hussein] used to keep the terrorists out. He’d kill the terrorists…there’s usually a reason why a country’s run a certain way.” [Howard Stern, 4/16/04]

  • October 2006: “[Saddam Hussein] killed terrorists. He would shoot terrorists in the street. There were no terrorists.” [“Larry King Live,” CNN, 10/9/06]

  • October 2008: “Saddam Hussein killed terrorists. They had very few terrorists, because he didn’t want terrorists in Iraq, and he killed terrorists.” [“Situation Room,” CNN, 10/15/08]

  • January 2014: “Whether you liked Saddam Hussein or not, he used to kill terrorists. Terrorists did not have fun in that country.” [Donald Trump, Politics and Eggs, Manchester, NH, 1/20/14]

  • October 2015: Trump: The world would be “a hundred percent” better off with Saddam Hussein still in power. [“State of the Union,” CNN, 10/25/15]

  • December 2015: “[Saddam Hussein] was great at one thing: He Killed Terrorists. They were executing terrorists on a daily basis.” [“Media Buzz,” Fox News, 12/20/15]

  • January 2016: “Getting rid of Saddam Hussein…what we have now is far worse.” [“Face the Nation,” CBS, 1/4/16]

  • February 2016: “Saddam Hussein killed Terrorists…He would do it immediately, He didn’t do it politically correct. With us, we find a terrorist, it’s going to be 25 years and a trial.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Greenville, SC, 2/15/16]

  • February 2016: “Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, but the one thing about him: He Killed Terrorists.” [Donald Trump, Press Conference, Charleston, SC, 2/15/16]

  • July 2016: “[Saddam Hussein] killed terrorists. He did that so good…They didn’t read them their rights, they didn’t talk…over.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Raleigh, NC, 7/5/16

Published: Jul 6, 2016

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