When it comes to Donald Trump’s squabbles with his political opponents, most of the time, it’s the president doing the talking. On Friday night, though, during an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, frequent Trump target and former U.S. Senator turned Secretary of State John Kerry hit back. Trump has cast the political figure as ruthlessly conspiring against his administration, and in return, Kerry says the president just has the “insecurity of a teenage girl.”
He exclaimed to Maher:
‘We’re based on the truth — democracy is based on the truth. And unfortunately, we have a president, literally, for whom, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth are three different things — and you don’t even know what they are!.. He’s got the maturity of an eight-year-old boy with the insecurity of a teenage girl.’
Watch below.
Maher’s studio audience applauded at Kerry’s remarks.
Trump has gone after Kerry on points including his meetings with Iranian leaders, suggesting the actions to be illegal undercuts of Trump administration policy. They’re not; Trump simply enjoys claiming that those who dare oppose him are running woefully afoul of the law — or something. He’s pushed for a Justice Department investigation into the identity of an administration official who wrote a critical op-ed in The New York Times, and he’s even pushed, behind the scenes, for DOJ action against former staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman over a critical tell-all.
Trump hides the failure of his foreign policy agenda under his claims that interests like Kerry are secretly conspiring against it. He’s committed to his way — whatever course of action that entails, depending on the day — to the point of fostering tensions with Defense Secretary James Mattis. The Times reported this week that in the face of issues including Mattis pointing out that Iran hasn’t really changed its behavior since Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, some expect the president to push him out after the midterm elections. He’d rather dump his Defense Secretary — and stir up conspiracy theories about John Kerry — than actually face the real consequences of his actions.
Kerry insisted during his appearance on Maher’s show that all he had done was “tell the truth” in admonishing Iranian officials that they could bank on waiting out the Trump administration.
In addition to the issue of his meetings with Iran, Trump has also gone after him over suggested 2020 presidential ambitions. To be clear, Kerry never said he was considering running for president; in fact, when pressed, he’s mostly refused to even give the suggestion he could any room. Even still, with years to go before the next presidential election — and the midterms to worry about in the meantime — Trump couldn’t wait to metaphorically puff out his chest and declare himself the best candidate in the not yet formed 2020 field.
Considering this and plenty of other developments, for many, Kerry’s assessment of the situation surrounding the Trump presidency is hardly off-point. Trump just keeps charging and charging ahead with little apparent concern for the consequences of his actions.
Featured Image via Screenshot from the Video
