Donald Trump hasn’t even been elected president, but he’s already hurting the United States’ reputation around the world, Hillary Clinton said.
In a previously-recorded interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Clinton said that if she’s elected president, she’ll have to work next year to undo the damage Trump has caused by his attitudes toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and disparaging talk about Muslims.
“What I most worry about with Trump is he is conveying several impressions to people around the world that are quite damaging,” Clinton said.
Asked to outline her major differences with Trump over handling U.S. relations with Russia and terrorist groups, Clinton painted a picture of Trump as an ignorant, “pontificating” candidate who lacks substance on the issues and has given Putin a “free pass” for his country’s aggressions.
Clinton also noted that over the summer, Trump praised former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for killing terrorists efficiently. She said expressions like that cause Islamic State members to hope Trump wins the election, instead of Clinton.
“It sends a message that maybe the U.S. no longer stands for human rights, human dignity,” Clinton said. “That’s a terrible message.”
“His language plays right into their hands,” Clinton later added.
Clinton also recollected her memories from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, during which she was serving as senator from New York. The wreckage was a scene as close to “hell” as she’s ever seen, Clinton said.
“It was as close to a depiction of hell as I’ve ever personally seen,” she said, describing how she visited Ground Zero soon after the attacks with fellow New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.
