In his first interview as President-elect, Donald Trump praised both the Clintons and Barack Obama as “smart” and “nice.”
It gets weirder.
Describing the concession call with his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, the Republican President-elect said:
“So, Hillary called, and it was a lovely call, and it was a tough call for her, I mean, I can imagine. Tougher for her than it would have been for me. I mean, for me, it would have been very, very difficult. She couldn’t have been nicer. She just said, ‘Congratulations, Donald, well done.’” And I said, ‘I want to thank you very much, you were a great competitor.’ She is very strong and very smart.”
Up Is Down, Black Is White
Let’s read that one more time:
“Thank you very much, you were a great competitor.”
“…Very strong and very smart.”
Seriously? What world is this? This is the man who promised to put Clinton in jail if he were President. For the past six months, his Twitter was a veritable shitstorm of vitriol against her.
Hillary is too weak to lead on border security-no solutions, no ideas, no credibility.She supported NAFTA, worst deal in US history. #Debate
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
Hillary is the most corrupt person to ever run for the presidency of the United States. #DrainTheSwamp pic.twitter.com/xA3YO8YzCq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s Presidency would be catastrophic for
the future of our country. She is ill-fit with bad judgment.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2016
He also said that former President Bill Clinton was “gracious” during a post-election conversation.
“He said it was an amazing run. One of the most amazing he’s ever seen. He was very, very, really, very nice. … He’s a very talented guy, I mean, this is a very talented family.”
The President-elect spent much of the campaign smearing Clinton as a sexist and a serial-rapist. In other words, not the kind of person you’d readily describe in any context as:
“…A very talented guy.”
Trump: Obama Is ‘Very Smart And Very Nice’
Trump also had shockingly cordial things to say about President Obama. Trump spent years discrediting President Obama’s American citizenship, his faith, and his policies.
Obama once again just missed a self-imposed deadline with Iran. Our leadership is weak & ineffective. Double the sanctions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2015
Refugees from Syria are now pouring into our great country. Who knows who they are – some could be ISIS. Is our president insane?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2015
President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2016
But apparently, after he and Obama met last week, Trump changed his tune. He even agreed that he might call President Obama for advice.
“I found him to be terrific. I found him to be very smart and very nice. Great sense of humor, as much as you can have a sense of humor talking about tough subjects, but we were talking about some pretty tough subjects.”
I’m not sure what’s more surprising: that Trump reversed his opinion of Obama so fully, or that he was even able to recognize a sense of humor when he’s so clearly lacking one himself.
Don’t Be Fooled
His sharp change in rhetoric against the Clintons and President Obama comes in the wake of a similar reversal contradicting his proposed repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Trump’s other central campaign promise, the construction of a wall along America’s southern border, is also facing a dubious future.
Why the sudden change? Have the recent protests chastened him? Has he finally realized the full gravity of the situation he’s in?
Whatever the case, we might be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief. But even if Trump is finally acting like an adult in some respects, these small signs of normality should not be taken as an indication that Trump is in any way normal. Even if Obama or the Clintons congratulate him, and even if he seeks their approval or advice, Trump is not fit for the Presidency. On the contrary, he is a demagogue with totalitarian tendencies, and his major policy positions remain dangerous for both the country and the world.
Watch the full interview below:
Featured image via YouTube screengrab.