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Senator Tim Kaine Denounces Trump As Dangerously Unfit To Be Commander-In-Chief


NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–September 6, 2016.  Today in Wilmington, North Carolina, Senator Tim Kaine denounced Donald Trump as dangerously unfit for the job of commander-in-chief. He called out Trump for his misleading statements about past foreign policy positions and underscored how Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who has the experience, temperament, and judgement to serve as commander in chief.

Here are some of the subjects he touched on:

1. Donald Trump is unqualified and temperamentally unfit to serve as President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief.

Trump trash talks our military and those who have sacrificed for our freedoms….

TRUMP: “So our military is weak.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Urbandale IA, 1/15/16]

TRUMP: “[John McCain is] not a war hero… He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, OK?” [Bloomberg, 7/18/15]

HEADLINE: “Trump: I Don’t Regret McCain Comments, My Poll Numbers Went Up” [BuzzFeed, 5/11/16]

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump Criticizes Muslim Family Of Slain U.S. Soldier, Drawing Ire” [New York Times, 7/30/16]

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump’s Slander Of Captain Humayun Khan’s Family Is Horrifying, Even For Trump” [Vox, 7/30/16]

… he has a fascination with strongmen and authoritarian leaders…

TRUMP: “I think in terms of leadership, [Putin’s] getting an A.” [Politico, 9/29/15; The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, 9/29/15]

TRUMP: “Look at Putin — what he’s doing with Russia — I mean, you know, what’s going on over there. I mean this guy has done — whether you like him or don’t like him — he’s doing a great job.” [Larry King Live, CNN, 10/15/07]

… he would toss alliances aside and “take everything back from the world that we’ve given them”…

CHRIS MATTHEWS:  “We don’t need NATO?”
TRUMP:  “Do you think — no, we don’t really need NATO in its current form. NATO is obsolete, and we’re spending disproportionately…” [MSNBC, Chris Matthews Town Hall, 3/30/16]

HEADLINE: “Trump Policy Chief On NATO Threats: Yes, We Really Mean It.” [Josh Rogin, Washington Post, 7/21/16]

TRUMP: “First of all, I want to take everything back from the world that we’ve given them. We’ve given them so much. ” [Celebrating The American Dream, Texas Patriots PAC, Houston TX, 4/30/15]

… he credits “the shows” on cable news for his policy education …

CHUCK TODD: “Who do you talk to for military advice right now?”
TRUMP: “Well, I watch the shows.” [Meet The Press, NBC, 8/16/15]

…. and while he says he’s “the best for the vets”, he has a history of disrespect for veterans and military families.

2.  Trump doesn’t know what his Middle East policy is – just look at his conflicting statements about his own positions on U.S. involvement in Iraq and Libya.

One of Trump’s main rationales for his candidacy was that he had the foresight to oppose the war in Iraq. However, Trump was clearly in favor of the war in Iraq.

TRUMP, 2015: “But I said, ‘Don’t hit Iraq,’ because you’re going to totally destabilize the Middle East.” [Trump Announcement Speech, 6/16/15]

TRUMP, 2000: “I’m no warmonger. But the fact is, if we decide a strike against Iraq is necessary, it is madness not to carry the mission to its conclusion.” [Donald Trump, “The America We Deserve,” 1/15/2000; BuzzFeed, 2/14/16]

HOWARD STERN: “Are you for invading Iraq?”
TRUMP, 2002: “Yeah, I guess so. You know, I wish the first time it was done correctly.” [Howard Stern Show, 9/11/02; BuzzFeed, 2/18/16]

TRUMP, 2003: “[The invasion of Iraq] looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint, and I think this is really nothing compared to what you’re gonna see after the war is over.’” [CBS News, 2/20/16]

HEADLINE: “In 2002, Donald Trump Said He Supported Invading Iraq” [BuzzFeed, 2/18/16]

HEADLINE: “There’s No Record Of Donald Trump Being Against The Iraq War Before It Started” [Buzzfeed, 9/16/15]

HEADLINE: “Trump Still Wrong On His Claim That Opposed Iraq War Ahead Of The Invasion” [PolitFact, 6/22/16]

He even said that, given the same information President Bush had, he might’ve made the same decision.

BILL O’REILLY: “All right, let’s stay in Iraq for a minute. You’re given this intelligence from five different agencies. You don’t move against this guy?”
TRUMP, 2004: “Perhaps, if I was given that… if that intelligence was actually given, perhaps.” [O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, 9/28/04]

These days he rails against the decision to pull troops out of Iraq – which was set in motion by the Bush Administration – but that’s exactly the opposite of what he said in 2006.

TRUMP, 2006: “I think we should get out of Iraq as quickly as possible.” [New York Daily News, 3/1/06]

Today, Trump says he was never in favor of going into Libya, nor had he ever discussed the subject publicly.

PolitiFact: “Trump tried to claim during the Houston debate that he never discussed supporting U.S. intervention in Libya. That’s patently inaccurate, as Trump’s own words show. This claim rates Pants on Fire!” [PolitiFact, 2/25/16]

HEADLINE: “Trump Claims He Didn’t Support Libya Intervention — But He Did, On Video” [BuzzFeed, 2/25/16]

  • “The Problem Is: Trump WAS In Favor Of Going Into Libya And Passionately Argued In Support On Multiple Occasions.” [BuzzFeed, 2/25/16]

HEADLINE: “Trump Says Removing Qaddafi Was Mistake, But Pushed For Libya Intervention In 2011” [BuzzFeed, 1/19/16]

But in fact, he supported strategies similar to what President Obama and Hillary Clinton supported.

MEREDITH VIEIRA: “Would you support a no-fly zone [in Libya]?”
TRUMP: “I would certainly support a no-fly zone, at a minimum.”
MATT LAUER: “Even at the risk of committing our military forces not only in the air but on the ground?”
TRUMP: “I would not do it for a long period of time, but you can’t allow–this is like the Holocaust. You can’t allow something like this to happen.” [Today Show, NBC, 3/2/11]

However, now he’s saying we would be “so much better off” if Gaddafi were still in power.

TRUMP: “We would be so much better off if Gadhafi were in charge right now.” [Republican Primary Debate, Houston TX, 2/26/16]

And despite Trump saying Gaddafi was “not a good man,” he was someone Trump wanted to do business with – and tried to host during his visit to America.

TRUMP: “He knocked out the Pan Am plane. This is not a good man, this is not a sane man. Something should have happened. And I don’t mean by leaving our troops there for any longer than a very short period of time.” [Today Show, NBC, 3/2/11]

Buzzfeed: “…Trump brought up an incident many had forgotten: that time in 2009 when Qaddafi rented Trump’s opulent Westchester estate to erect a huge traditional tent where the Libyan leader would stay — and sacrifice a live lamb — while in New York for a United Nations assembly. The despised tyrant had been turned down by many other venues.” [BuzzFeed, 6/7/16]

  • “But BuzzFeed News has learned there was more to the relationship between Trump and Qaddafi than the short-term rental of an expensive campground and surrounding estate. According to four U.S. and Libyan sources, Trump sought to use the opportunity to gain access to Qaddafi, who was in a position to release billions in investment capital.” [BuzzFeed, 6/7/16]
  • “Then Trump got down to business, Herbert recalled, saying, ‘Let’s not worry about the tent, I’m interested in having a meeting with Qaddafi.’ Trump said he wanted to discuss business opportunities involving ‘the Mediterranean waterfront and construction,’ Herbert recalled.” [BuzzFeed, 6/7/16]
3.  We have no idea how Donald Trump would handle Iran – and neither does he.

He didn’t know the difference between the Quds Force and the Kurds…

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump Doesn’t Quite Know the Difference Between the ‘Kurds’ and the ‘Quds’” [Mediaite, 9/3/15]

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump Just Tripped Up On The Air Over Foreign Policy. Again And Again.” [Washington Post, 9/3/15]

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump Stumbles on Foreign Policy Knowledge in New Interview” [TIME, 9/4/15]

… nor could he tell the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas.

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump: I Will Know The Difference Between Hamas And Hezbollah ‘When It’s Appropriate’” [The Guardian, 9/4/15]

HEADLINE: “Hamas? Hezbollah? I’ll Work It Out, Says Trump” [Fortune, 9/4/15]

HUGH HEWITT: “At the debate, I may bring up Nasrallah being with Hezbollah, and al-Julani being with al-Nusra, and al-Masri being with Hamas. Do you think if I ask people to talk about those three things, and the differences, that that’s a gotcha question?”
TRUMP: “Yes, I do. I totally do. I think it’s ridiculous.” […]
HEWITT: “…so the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas does not matter to you yet, but it will?”
TRUMP: “It will when it’s appropriate. I will know more about it than you know, and believe me, it won’t take me long.” [Hugh Hewitt, 9/3/16]

4.  One thing we do know, is that has said he wanted to be a “neutral guy” when it comes to Israel, and that Israel should pay for the defense aid America provide.

HEADLINE: “Trump Pledges To Be ‘Neutral Guy’ In Israel-Palestinian Negotiations” [CNN, 2/19/16]

  • TRUMP: “Let me be sort of a neutral guy, let’s see what — I’m going to give it a shot. It would be so great.” [CNN, 2/19/16]

HEADLINE: “Trump Says He’ll Make Israel Pay For Defense Aid” [Times Of Israel, 3/22/16]

  • Times of Israel: “During a press conference in Washington, Trump was asked whether he believed the Israeli government should pay for American defense, as he had called for other US allies such as South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia to do. ‘I think Israel will do that also, yeah, I think Israel do—there are many countries that can pay and they can pay big league,’ responded the billionaire businessman.” [Times Of Israel, 3/22/16]
5.  When it comes to ISIS, Hillary Clinton has a smart, credible plan. Donald Trump does not.

Trump doesn’t think our military has what it take to stop ISIS, and he thinks he knows “more than the generals do.”

TRUMP: “We are going to rebuild our military. The military is in shambles.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Harrington DE, 4/22/16]

TRUMP: “Our military is depleted. Our vets aren’t taken care of. We can’t beat ISIS. Can you imagine General George Patton, who is right now spinning in his grave.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Wilmington NC, 8/9/16]

TRUMP: “Everything’s — this country is not — we can’t beat ISIS. Our military is going to hell. You look at what’s going on with the vets, they’re treated horribly. They’re worse than illegal immigrants. We have a big portion of this country that’s fed up.” [Fox News Sunday, Fox News, 3/13/16]

TRUMP: “I know more about ISIS than the generals do.” [Washington Post, 11/13/15; Donald Trump Campaign Rally, Fort Dodge Iowa, 11/12/15]

But groups like ISIS are rooting for Trump.

HEADLINE: “Why ISIS Is Rooting For Trump” [Foreign Affairs, 8/24/16]

  • Foreign Affairs: “Analysis of ISIS chatter on social media and conversations with 12 current and former supporters of the group do indicate that ISIS strongly prefers Trump over the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. When asked to explain their preference for Trump, interviewees offered several reasons. First, Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric plays into ISIS’ narrative of a bipolar world in which the West is at war with Islam. Second, ISIS hopes that Trump will radicalize Muslims in the United States and Europe and inspire them to commit lone-wolf attacks in their home countries. Third, ISIS supporters believe that Trump would be an unstable and irrational leader whose impulsive decision-making would weaken the United States. And fourth, ISIS subscribes to the prophecy of a “Final Battle,” to take place.” [Foreign Affairs, 8/24/16]
HEADLINE: “ISIS Extremists Rooting For Trump To Win Presidential Election” [NYDN, 8/27/16]
Sometimes Trump talks about disengaging and letting Syria become “a free zone for ISIS.”  Sometimes he talks about dramatically increasing the use of American force in Syria.  He’s even mused about using nuclear weapons against ISIS, which would cause massive civilian casualties.

TRUMP: “It’s really rather amazing, maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants.” [The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, 6/16/15]

HEADLINE: “Trump Open To Ground Troops In Syria, Expands On Safe Zone Idea” [NBC, 11/18/15]

JOE SCARBOROUGH: “So would you support taking it, say, ten thousand ground troops as part of an international force [in Syria to defeat ISIS?… Would you support 10,000 ground troops?”
TRUMP: “I would. Yes, I would.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 12/8/15]
HEADLINE: “Trump Calls For Ground Troops In Iraq, Syria” [Politico, 3/10/16]

HUGH HEWITT: “Mr. Trump, more troops?”
TRUMP:  “We really have no choice. We have to knock out ISIS. We have to knock the hell out of them, we have to get rid of it and then we have to come back here and rebuild our country, which is falling apart.”
HEWITT: “How many?”
TRUMP: “I would listen to the generals but I’m hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000. We have to knock them out fast. We have to knock them out fast. Look, we’re not allowed to fight. We can’t fight. We’re not knocking out the oil because they don’t want to create environmental pollution up in the air.” [Republican Primary Debate, Miami FL, 3/10/16]

HEADLINE: “Trump Calls For 20,000-30,000 Troops To Fight ISIS.” [Weekly Standard, 3/10/16]

TRUMP:  “Somebody hits us within ISIS, you wouldn’t fight back with a nuke?” [MSNBC Town Hall, MSNBC, Green Bay WI, 3/30/16]

6.  Being unfamiliar with the nuclear triad and engaging in loose talk about using nuclear weapons should be disqualifying on their own.

HEADLINE: “Trump Appears Stumped By Question On Nuclear Triad” [CNN, 12/17/16]

HEADLINE: “Paul: Trump Has No Clue What The Nuclear Triad Is” [The Hill, 12/20/15]

CHRIS MATTHEWS: “OK. The trouble is, when you said that, the whole world heard it. David Cameron in Britain heard it. The Japanese, where we bombed them in ’45, heard it. They’re hearing a guy running for president of the United States talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. Nobody wants to hear that about an American president.”

TRUMP: “Then why are we making them? Why do we make them?” [MSNBC Town Hall, MSNBC, Green Bay WI, 3/30/16]

7.  When it comes to Russia, Trump seems to support Russian interests at the expense of American ones.

Here’s what we know: Trump and his associates have close ties to Russia, and he has yet to fully disclose his foreign business interests.

Washington Post: Inside Trump’s financial ties to Russia and his unusual flattery of Vladimir Putin: “The overwhelming consensus among American political and national security leaders has held that Putin is a pariah who disregards human rights and has violated international norms in seeking to regain influence and territory in the former Soviet bloc…. Trump has conveyed a different view, informed in part through his business ambitions.” [Washington Post, 6/17/16]

Slate: Putin’s Puppet: “The destruction of Europe is a grandiose objective; so is the weakening of the United States. Until recently, Putin has only focused glancing attention on American elections. Then along came the presumptive Republican nominee. Donald Trump is like the Kremlin’s favored candidates, only more so. He celebrated the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. He denounces NATO with feeling. He is also a great admirer of Vladimir Putin.” [Slate, 7/21/16]

What’s more, Trump’s campaign weakened the GOP platform’s commitment to defending Ukraine…

HEADLINE: “Trump Campaign Guts GOP’s Anti-Russia Stance On Ukraine.” [Josh Rogin, Washington Post, 7/18/16]

  • Washington Post: “The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.” [Josh Rogin, Washington Post, 7/18/16]

… Trump claimed Russia would never invade Ukraine, two years after Putin invaded the country…

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump Gives Questionable Explanation Of Events In Ukraine” [New York Times, 7/31/16]

  • New York Times: “Mr. Trump said that if he were President, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would not send his forces into Ukraine. He then backpedaled when Mr. Stephanopoulos pointed out that Russian troops had been there for nearly two years.” [New York Times, 7/31/16]

…he openly celebrated the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU – even though it could lead to a more fractured Europe…

HEADLINE: “Donald Trump In Scotland: ‘Brexit A Great Thing’” [BBC, 6/24/16]

  • BBC: “Mr Trump was asked about the EU referendum result, which saw Leave beat Remain by 52% to 48%, shortly after he touched down at Turnberry in a helicopter. The US billionaire answered: said: ‘I think it’s a great thing that’s happened. It’s an amazing vote, very historic.’ ‘People are angry all over the world. They’re angry over borders, they’re angry over people coming into the country and taking over and nobody even knows who they are.’ ‘They’re angry about many, many things in the UK, the US and many other places. This will not be the last.’” [BBC, 6/24/16]

…and he openly encouraged Russia to hack to political opponents and commit espionage against his own country.

  • HEADLINE: “Trump Invites Russian Hackers To Find Clinton’s Missing Emails” [Business Insider, 7/27/16]
    • BusinessInsider: “Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday invited Russian hackers to find and publish Hillary Clinton’s emails. ‘Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 [Clinton] emails that are missing,’ Trump said at a press conference. ‘I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Let’s see if that happens. That’ll be nice.’” [Business Insider, 7/27/16]

    8.  In Latin America, Trump has already embarrassed Americans.
    The centerpiece of Trump’s campaign is building a wall and making Mexico pay for it. Yet, when Trump finally had the chance to meet with President Peña Nieto, he said payment never came up.

    TRUMP: “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” [Donald Trump Presidential Announcement Speech, 6/16/15]

    TRUMP: “We did discuss the wall. We didn’t discuss payment of the wall. That’ll be for a later date.” [Trump Press Conference – Mexico City, Mexico, 8/31/16]

    Which turned out to be false, and Trump launched into an online feud with a neighboring head of state.

    CNN: “‘At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,’ Peña Nieto tweeted, after their meeting Wednesday.” [CNN, 9/1/16; Twitter, @EPN, 8/31/16]

    HEADLINE: “Mexican President: I Told Trump We Wouldn’t Pay For The Wall” [Politico, 8/31/16]

    HEADLINE: “Trump And Mexican President Battle On Twitter” [USA Today, 9/1/16]

    HEADLINE: “Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto And Donald Trump Are Now In A Twitter Fight” [Huffington Post, 9/1/16]

    Later that day, Trump doubled down on dangerous, anti-immigrant policies.

    HEADLINE: “Trump Recommits To Mass Deportation In Fiery Immigration Speech” [NBC, 9/1/16]

    HEADLINE: “Donald Trump’s Deportation Nation” [Editorial, New York Times, 8/31/16]

    9.  Donald Trump thinks he knows more than everyone and tells the American public, “I alone can fix it.”

    TRUMP: “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.” [Donald Trump Nomination Acceptance Speech, 7/21/16]

    The choice this election is clear – Donald Trump is dangerously unstable, temperamentally unfit and totally unprepared to deal with the complex global challenges facing the United States.

Source: http://hillaryclinton.com

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