Wednesday on CNN’s “New Day,” House Majority Whip James Clyburn (R-SC) said he gives President Donald Trump low marks. However, he indicated Trump had not reached the same level as one of his predecessors, Woodrow Wilson.
Clyburn accused Trump of mimicking Wilson and cited historical comparisons.
“You have said in the last day that President Trump is responsible for more carnage than any president in history,” “New Day” co-host John Berman said. “And of course, ‘American carnage’ was a phrase he used in his inaugural address. What do you mean by that?”
“Well, what I mean by that is that this president may be the worst president we’ve had since Woodrow Wilson,” Clyburn replied. “And so I’m not being partisan there. Woodrow Wilson was not a Republican, and in fact his home is in my congressional district. But I think Woodrow Wilson set this country back tremendously. He was — this president seemed to be mimicking so much of what he did.”
“Do you recall, Woodrow Wilson entertained ‘Gone with the Wind,’ ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ I might say, in the White House as if he were trying to send a signal all across this country as to what he wanted this country to be like,” he continued. “This president is mimicking Woodrow Wilson, doing things in the White House. What he did, the day before yesterday, clearing a path for him to walk down as if he is some emperor. That was carnage, the misuse of power. That is violence. I’ve seen the definition of violence, unjust use of force. But I’ve also seen it as being the unjust use of power. This president is using his power unjustly. He’s unleashing violence on this country in such a way that it could very well threaten our existence as a nation.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor