Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld admits he’s a bit flummoxed by today’s presidential politics. Now 83, the veteran political warrior professed amazement at the ability of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders to draw huge crowds at campaign events.
“Those two have hit a chord in this country that is amazing,” he told the Washington Examiner. “They’re getting a response the likes of which I’ve never seen.”
The former congressman and chief of staff to Gerald Ford marveled at the way social media has rejuvenated the traditionally under-covered stump speech.
“The fact that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders can, within two or three days, announce they are going to speak someplace, and draw in 25,000-30,000 human beings to hear them speak is absolutely amazing,” Rumsfeld said. “Presidents in my day didn’t get that many people to come are hear them.”
Rumsfeld, a lifelong Republican, said he’s not endorsing any of the candidates, in part he says because he doesn’t know any of them very well. The exception is John Kasich, who he says was helpful after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“I kinda want to watch them run around the track a little bit,” he said. “We had a good field on the Republican side, and you can be sure I’m going to vote for the Republican.”
