Bill Clinton to Trump, GOP: You can't "insult your way to the White House"
Bill Clinton has a few words of advice for the Republicans vying for the Oval Office: If you want to win, stop acting like you're on an episode of 'Survivor.'
In an interview with CNN Tuesday, the former president went after Donald Trump and the rest of the crowded Republican field for conducting their campaigns "as much like a reality TV show as possible."
"You can't -- and you shouldn't be able to -- insult your way to the White House," Clinton told CNN. "I think as the field whittles down, I hope it will get more serious. The American people deserve some sense of what the heck you're going to do if you actually get the job."
"You can't level an insult," he went on. "You're not in an episode of 'Survivor.' You're actually supposed to show up and run the show."
And after watching two Republican debates, the former chief executive believes that there's been a lack of "really serious discussion" on the GOP side.
"One of the things in a crowded field you have to do is stand out. You have to be able to brand yourself. You've got to be able to be identified," Clinton added. "But at some point you also have to say: What are you going to do? You can't spend all your time saying everything everybody else did was wrong. And they are all doofuses. You can't say that."
Speaking specifically about Trump's criticisms of his wife as the worst secretary of state in history, Clinton defended Hillary's reputation, saying that "when she left office, the average approval rating of the United States was more than 20 points higher than it was when she came into office."
"I don't think that's nothing," he said.
Of Trump, Clinton warned that "if he becomes the nominee, he'll have to sort of hone his criticisms a little more finely." The facts, Clinton said, "will be easier to marshal" in the general election.
But the longtime politician also praised Trump's skill as a politician: "He's good at this. That's what he does, and the people he is telling it to now have only heard that story, so they believe it and it's probably good politics for him."
On attending the billionaire's wedding, Clinton said that he was "glad" the couple had been present, adding that it was "perfectly nice."
Trump, according to Clinton, has even complimented his wife on her tenure as a senator -- that the real estate mogul had told him "on more than one occasion what a good job she did in the senate for New York after 9/11."