Former President Bill Clinton condemned what he described as “the corruption” of Donald Trump’s presidency and criticized the Iran War during a Democratic campaign event in Mississippi.
Clinton, 80, again poked fun at his age, telling the audience that whenever he enters a room, “I’m the oldest person.” He also took aim at Trump while recalling their past friendship.
“I think about the high gas prices that are the direct result of a not very well-thought-out attack on Iran,” Clinton said while campaigning for Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom.
“Nobody would like it more than me if the Iranians never became a nuclear power and eventually moved toward a genuine democracy. We did quite a lot to sabotage their efforts when I was president, but I never believed we should go to war and watch large numbers of people die because we were not prepared to occupy the country,” Clinton said.
“You don’t start killing people unless you know how you’re going to stop.”
Clinton himself ordered several bombing campaigns in the Middle East and elsewhere, including strikes against Iraq in 1993 and 1996, cruise-missile attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998, and another operation in Iraq later that year.
The former president also said he despised “the corruption, the ego projects” associated with the Trump administration, pointing to Trump’s reported interest in building an arch named after himself.
Clinton also offered his perspective on Trump’s enthusiasm for tariffs, which the president has called his “favorite word” and made a central part of his second-term agenda.
Former President Bill Clinton criticized Donald Trump’s presidency and the Iran War during a campaign appearance in Mississippi
“I think about the high gas prices that are the direct result of a not very well-thought-out attack on Iran,” Clinton said while campaigning for Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom, pictured
Clinton said he and Trump “used to have quite a friendly relationship” and emphasized that he has “known President Trump a long time.”
“Twenty-four years ago, we’d play golf. Even then, he believed in these tariffs. He kept saying, ‘We’re the biggest, strongest country in the world, so why don’t we just put a bunch of tariffs on these countries and stop paying taxes altogether?’”
Clinton said he would answer that foreign countries do not simply absorb the cost of tariffs. Instead, he argued, businesses pass those costs on to consumers, meaning Americans ultimately pay them.
“He just, like now, didn’t hear what he didn’t want to hear. You’ve got these higher gas prices—that’s the Iran War.”
Clinton also revived a joke he made the previous week, saying Trump had transformed the Oval Office to look “like the entrance to Liberace’s bedroom.”
He was campaigning for Colom, a prosecutor seeking to unseat Trump-backed Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
“My friend George Bush once said, ‘Democracy is self-correcting.’ We are about to find out in Mississippi if that’s true,” Clinton said before urging voters to support Colom.
Polymarket currently gives Hyde-Smith an 88 percent chance of winning in deeply conservative Mississippi.
RELATED: Polish President Karol Nawrocki turns back from Senegal trip after ally suspended
Clinton said he opposed “the corruption, the ego projects” of the Trump administration, including the president’s reported plan for a self-named arch
Clinton discussed Trump’s long-standing enthusiasm for tariffs, which the president has called his “favorite word” and made a cornerstone of his second term. He also recalled their former friendship
Clinton made his first public campaign appearance in Florida on Tuesday night, joining Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly at an interfaith event in Pembroke Park.
The event came two weeks before Election Day and marked the first time the 42nd president had appeared on the campaign trail during this election cycle.
Clinton, now 80, addressed his age immediately, telling the crowd that “one blessing” of getting older “is you can say whatever you want,” prompting laughter.
“Of course, many people don’t care anymore,” Clinton joked.
Although Clinton often waits until later in a campaign before endorsing candidates, some observers have suggested that this late appearance may have been influenced by his age.
His visit came as Jolly closed the gap with Republican challenger Byron Donalds, who held a single-digit lead in recent polls in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
A Jolly victory would represent a major political upset in Florida, which has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994.
The unexpectedly competitive contest has drawn prominent Democratic support in the final stretch, including from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and former ambassador Rahm Emanuel, both of whom have backed Jolly’s campaign.
Clinton campaigned for Colom, a prosecutor challenging Trump-endorsed Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith
President Donald Trump shares a moment with U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith during a campaign rally at Crossroads Arena in Corinth
Clinton has largely remained out of public view since testifying about his former relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The former president has denied any wrongdoing connected to the billionaire sex offender.
Millions of Americans have already responded to the call to vote in an election that will determine whether Trump’s final two years in the White House unfold with a cooperative Republican-led Congress or amid sustained Democratic opposition.
According to an Associated Press analysis of voting data, nearly 10 million more Americans had cast ballots five days before Election Day than had voted by the same point in 2022.
The biggest increases have been recorded in states with competitive Senate races, including Iowa and Kansas, where early voting is up by about 30 percent. Trump is scheduled to visit both states on Sunday.
Democrats and Republicans are each hoping the surge in early voting benefits their side as they battle for control of Congress. The campaign has focused heavily on affordability concerns and the president’s unpopularity.
