Clinton Tells Trump to Log Off, Again

By Eleanor Sheehan  |  September 15, 2017 | 3:03am
Latest

Hillary Clinton, whose political career is, like, so over, has some free advice for President Trump as he navigates the North Korean nuclear crisis: “Get over the Twitter stuff and get onto the diplomatic negotiations,” she told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday. Hm, some familiar advice, I see.

Moments before the interview aired, North Korea fired yet another missile over Japan, prompting Maddow to ask Clinton about her assessment of how Trump has handled the crisis. Clinton made a fair point: Trump’s fire and fury Twitter posturing has only played right into North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s hands.

“This missile test is sending a message from Kim Jong-un that he is not deterred,” Clinton explained. “That’s what I mean about all the tough talk that we hear from our president actually playing right into Kim Jong Un’s hands. That’s what I mean when I say he’s been played. This is a clear and present danger.”

It’s true. Even as Trump, who once exalted Kim Jong-un as a “smart cookie,” has threatened North Korea with America’s military might, the authoritarian has shrugged it off and continued to test more missiles.

Simultaneously, the State Department, which Clinton described as “decimated,” seems to be ill-equipped to handle situation diplomatically. Just before Thursday night’s missile test, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced plans to cut the State Department’s budget by $10 billion. And, as the Los Angeles Times noted, Tillerson has yet to hire an assistant secretary for Eastern Asia — so a lower-ranking State Department employee oversees relations (not that there are any) with North Korea. Clinton, too, addressed this glaring problem.

“Right now we need smart, diplomatic intervention. If we don’t have it in government then bring in some people from the outside with experience,” she added. “We have experienced diplomats who have dealt with North Korea, but this needs to be happening right now.”

I know the perfect person for the outsourced position! Dennis Rodman, where you at?

 
Join the discussion...