When it comes to how President Donald Trump has handled the job of being president, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s assessment was not too positive.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Clinton was asked how she felt Trump was doing since he took office over three years ago.
Clinton claimed that Trump was not focused on being “the president for the entire country,” instead she said he was focused on his base — which she said has led to “some very serious missteps.”
“He was still very much focused on those who he had brought into his base. And I think, as a result, he has made some very serious missteps as president.”
When Zakaria pressed her on whether his handling of the job has improved, Clinton said she thinks he has taken some “unfortunate detours.” She also discounted Trump’s suggestion that he ushered in an era of economic growth. Instead, she said he had taken steps that could hurt the economy.
“The economy that he inherited was on the right track, and it was important that it remain on the right track. I’m worried though that we have seen some unfortunate detours. For example, with the trade embargoes and the trade wars that he’s engaged in.”
Watch the interview below:
Additionally, Clinton claimed that Trump’s actions are “all transactional” and about “what’s in it for the president and his allies, his cronies, and his re-election.”
Clinton’s comments take aim at one of the aspects of the job where Trump routinely receives his highest marks— his handling of the economy.
While he has regularly taken credit for the economy, others, including former President Barack Obama, have said that he inherited a strong economy.
For his part, Trump has claimed that the economic recovery under Obama was “the weakest recovery since the great the depression.”
That disagreement has led to conservatives arguing that Trump inherited a weak economy, with Democrats saying that Obama created a strong economy before Trump was elected.