Almost certain of winning Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton unleashed the bluntest attack yet on Republican rival Donald Trump for his “dangerous” positions on various foreign policy issues, saying he is disqualified to be the U.S. President.
Citing Trump’s remarks against British politicians, his willingness to talk to North Korean dictator, demand to pull out of NATO and his statement that more countries should have nuclear weapons, Clinton said these stances were “potentially dangerous”.
The former secretary of state, in a live CNN interview aired Thursday, particularly referred to his statement on barring Muslims from entering the United States, something which she said plays into the hands of terrorists.
“When you say you are going to bar all Muslims, you are sending the message to the Muslim world, and you are also sending a message to terrorists because we now have evidence we, we have seen how Donald Trump is being used to, essentially be a recruiter for more people to join the cause of terrorism.”
Clinton was apparently referring to a video purportedly released by a Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab in January which showed civil rights era footage of fierce American Muslim minister Malcolm X and Trump’s audio from a campaign speech to portray the United States as a racist society.
The former first lady, who stated that her nomination was “done”, did not buy when CNN anchor Chris Cuomo suggested that politicians do make such statements during election campaigns but behave differently when assume office.
“It is not just somebody say something off the cough,” Clinton said. “This is a pattern. It’s a pattern which has gone on for months.
And, she warned: “The kind of positions, he is stating, the consequences of those positions and even the consequences of his statements are not just offensive to people, they are potentially dangerous”.
“When you run for president of the United States, the entire world is listening and watching.”
Trump’s statement on barring Muslim entry has not gone unnoticed and has drawn sharp rebuke from world leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
After such statement, it will be difficult for a President Trump to have successful relations with other countries, said the Turkish leader.
Clinton indicated to use Trump’s positions on such issues to take on her Republican rival. “I am going after him exactly on those issues and statements that are divisive and dangerous, and I actually think that’s what the American people want to see”.
Clinton is just short of less than 100 delegates to clinch the nomination, but her party rival Senator Bernie Sanders has refused to give up, vowing to take the fight to the Democratic convention in the third week of July, when the party candidate will be formally announced.
Sanders’ stubbornness has raised fear of a division in the party as a whole lot of young voters have shown emotional attachment to the Senator from Vermont whose positions on health care, unemployment, criminal justice and exploitation of poor at the hands of multi- billionaires have resonated well with the youth. Clinton is more popular among older class.
Clinton hoped Sanders would do as she did after losing to President Obama in 2008 when she went with him at various rallies to demonstrate her support. She was the one who had nominated Obama to be the Democratic candidate for President.
How desperately she will be needing Sanders’ support to side with her was underscored after a new national Fox News poll showed Trump holding a slight leader over Clinton – 45% to 42%. That was different from a Fox national poll in April when Clinton had 48% to Trump’s 41%.
The new poll also showed Sanders leading Trump 46% to 42%, a drop from the April poll when the Senator was on top with 52% to that of 39% for Trump.
