Former President Donald Trump expressed regret over his choice of cabinet members during an exclusive interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.
Trump referred to some of his former cabinet members as "weak and pathetic" and others as "incompetent."
When asked if there was anything he would do differently in the 2016 election, Trump responded, "The mistake would be people. I mean, I wouldn't have put a guy like Bill Barr. He was weak and pathetic. I wouldn't have put Jeff Sessions, and there are some people that I wouldn't have put in. You know, most people were good, but I had some people we had [Dr. Mark] Esper. I didn't like him. He was incompetent. I thought we had other people I didn't like."
Bartiromo questioned why Trump appointed these individuals in the first place. Trump explained, "Because every President puts somebody in and you think they're good [at first]."
Trump has been at odds with several of his former cabinet members, including Barr, who warned of potential chaos if Trump were to assume office again in 2024. Barr argued that Trump is the worst person to fulfill his pledged policies and could set them back further.
Esper, who served as defense secretary from 2019 to 2020, labeled Trump a threat to democracy and national security. He also clashed with Trump over claims that the former President asked if protesters could be shot outside the White House during the unrest following George Floyd's death. Trump denied the claim, calling it a "complete lie" and stating that ten witnesses would support his version of events.
Sessions, Trump's former attorney general, criticized Trump's "juvenile insults" and emphasized the importance of his own honor and integrity.
During the interview with Bartiromo, Trump acknowledged that he would have chosen some cabinet members differently. However, he argued that most of the criticism he faced during his 2016 campaign was that he should adopt a "softer" approach.
Trump pushed back against this notion, stating, "If I was soft, I wouldn't be talking to you right now, believe me. I wouldn't have been able to finish out one of the most successful terms as President to a point where it was so successful that I'm leading by 50 points right now. I mean, that wouldn't have happened."
In addition to discussing his regrets over cabinet appointments, Trump addressed other pressing issues during the interview, including bureaucratic corruption, the growing field of GOP candidates, his potential appearance on the GOP primary debate stage, and his assessment of President Biden's economy.
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