Hillary Clinton recently compared Donald Trump’s fancy gold decoration of the White House to the luxurious palaces of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq.Unlike many who might make such a comment, she actually visited those palaces herself.
Clinton made the comment during an interview on Kara Swisher’s podcast.
She explained that when she was in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, she had meetings in some of his palaces.“They were quite similar to what we are seeing in our own White House,” she said.“It’s just insane.”
Clinton called watching Trump cover the Oval Office in gold “sad,” especially after seeing the room serve as a significant center of power for presidents as far back as Jimmy Carter in the 1970s.
“It’s a reflection of his narcissistic personality and his need to feel important, including sticking gold embellishments all over the walls of the Oval Office,” she said.
However, Clinton’s strongest criticism wasn’t about Trump’s style.
It was about a president she believes is more focused on decorating than on doing his job.
“This is a man who can’t concentrate,” Clinton said.
“This is a man whose mind apparently goes to, ‘Where can I add more gold?’ instead of, ‘How do I get out of Iran without looking like the loser that I am?’”
She pointed out that issues like how to remove ourselves from Iran and the big challenges posed by artificial intelligence deserve the president’s full attention.
Instead, she said, Trump’s mind is focused on things that “reflect my need to appear important.”
Clinton’s comparison to Saddam Hussein is especially fitting because it goes beyond Trump’s style.
For centuries, dictators have surrounded themselves with gold, marble, big ballrooms, and other symbols of their power, often losing touch with reality before their eventual downfall.
Trump has been covering the White House with his own flashy style during his second term, while also planning for a huge new imperial ballroom.
Clinton has seen this type of leadership before.
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