Hillary Clinton, former Minister of State who lost to U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, strongly criticized Trump's second-term policy through a New York Times (NYT) column on the 28th (local time). Clinton also used the term 'dumb.'
In a guest post titled "How Much Dumber Will This Get?", Clinton mentioned that high-ranking officials responsible for U.S. national security discussed airstrike operations against the Yemeni Islamic militant group Houthi in a group chat without even knowing that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the U.S. magazine 'The Atlantic', had been invited. She stated, "What bothers me is not hypocrisy, but stupidity," adding that it is "very dangerous. Just dumb."
Clinton pointed out that the Trump administration's dismissal of hundreds of federal officials responsible for protecting U.S. nuclear weapons in an effort to reduce expenses, halting the fight against epidemics amid the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa, and firing generals and diplomats during a time when China and Russia are expanding their influence are all "dumb things."
Clinton noted that during her tenure as Secretary of State, she advocated for smart power, combining the military's hard power and diplomacy with development assistance and the soft power of economic and cultural influence, stating that Trump's approach is "dumb power." She criticized, "Instead of a strong America leading the world and confronting enemies using all strengths, Trump is becoming more and more blind and foolish."
In particular, Clinton pointed out that the Trump administration is undermining soft power. She expressed shock at the Trump administration's plans to close embassies and consulates, fire diplomats, and destroy the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), stating that these actions may not be as widely recognized as the importance of tanks and fighter jets, but embassies are the eyes and ears that inform domestic policy decisions and are starting points that help U.S. corporations enter new markets for our safety and prosperity.
She added, "Diplomats allow us not to fight alone in a competitive world. That is why my colleagues and I were able to rally the United Nations to impose sanctions to paralyze Iran's nuclear program and ultimately force Iran to stop developing nuclear weapons," saying that "Trump cut funding to monitor Iranian research facilities. A dumb thing." She continued, "China understands the value of forward-deployed diplomacy, opening new embassies and consulates around the world, and now has more embassies than the United States," expressing concern that "the retreat of the Trump administration allows China to expand its influence without competitors."
Clinton emphasized that diplomacy is efficient in terms of expense and that preventing war is cheaper than fighting. She likened the Trump administration's approach to slash-and-burn, stating, "They are not recreating the government but destroying it."
Clinton stated, "All of this is dumb and dangerous," noting that Trump is colluding with dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin, blowing up U.S. alliances and undermining the rule of law, trampling on America's moral influence." She added, "Trump is wrecking the economy and causing national liabilities to skyrocket."
Clinton remarked, "If the United States operates like a 'banana republic' (a non-democratic developing country) with an openly corrupt leader ruling above the law, the U.S. will lose that argument," suggesting that "perhaps President Trump wants to return to 19th-century spheres of influence. Perhaps he is led by personal grudges into an untenable situation."
Clinton criticized, "As a businessman, he bankrupted the Atlantic City casino," adding that "now he is gambling with U.S. national security." She warned, "If this continues, the mistakes in group chats will be our smallest worry," pointing to the emojis in the chat room, saying, "All the fists and flags emojis in the world won't save us."