Former Secretary of State John Kerry accused President Trump of impairing the credibility of the U.S. around the world, and warned that some of Trump’s choices will “cost us lives.”
“The president has hugely damaged American credibility on a global basis. He has upset alliances, which are critical to America’s long-term security,” Kerry told MSNBC on Monday.
“It is no way to conduct the critical affairs of our nation and I think it puts our interest at risk,” Kerry continued. “It will cost us both money and, frankly, some of the decisions he’s made will cost us lives.”
“The President has hugely damaged American credibility on a global basis. He has upset alliances, which are critical to America’s long-term security.”
– Former Sec. of State @JohnKerry discusses how President Trump has “damaged” global diplomacy with @mitchellreports. pic.twitter.com/zDPyo9ayVT
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 10, 2018
The comments came in response to MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asking Kerry what has been “lost” due to how Trump has “conducted foreign policy,” citing that the Trump administration announced earlier Monday that the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington would be shut down, among other issues.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the decision was made because the PLO’s attitude toward a U.S.-led peace plan with Israel and noted that “PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.”
Kerry has been increasingly critical of Trump lately, and claimed on Sunday that Trump “clearly doesn’t understand America.”
He also questioned Trump’s capability to carry out his duties as president last week, following the publication of an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times reportedly written by a senior administration official. The op-ed was critical of Trump and claimed members of the administration have formed an internal “resistance.”
“It scared the hell out of me,” Kerry said of the op-ed during an interview with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert last week. “You know what it really means, Stephen, is that we don’t really have a president.”
