The former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper questioned President Trump’s fitness for office on the heels of his rant-filled screed of a speech in Phoenix Tuesday night.
‘I worry about, frankly, you know, the access to the nuclear codes,’ Clapper told CNN’s Don Lemon.
He also labeled Trump’s fiery rhetoric ‘downright scary and disturbing.’
The former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said he questioned President Trump’s fitness for office and his access to the nuclear codes
James Clapper (right) joined CNN’s Don Lemon (left) and said found President Trump’s speech in Phoenix ‘downright scary and disturbing’
Kicking off the segment, Clapper told Lemon that he didn’t even know where to begin.
‘It’s just so objectionable on so many levels,’ Clapper said.
He reminded the CNN host that he had worked for every president starting with John F. Kennedy and ending with Barack Obama, in some capacity.
‘And I don’t know when I’ve listened and watched something like this from a president that I found more disturbing having some understanding of the levers of power that are available to a president if he chooses to exercise them,’ Clapper said.
Echoing what Democrat Bakari Sellers had previously said on the network, Clapper said the contents of Trump’s speech weren’t much of a surprise.
‘It is interesting to contrast last night’s teleprompter Trump performance versus tonight, which is, of course, the real Trump,’ Clapper pointed out. ‘Just as it was in the unglued, impromptu press conference at Trump Tower.’
‘So I find this very disturbing,’ Clapper added.
Clapper was referring to the press conference that took place a week before Tuesday night’s rally in which the president assigned some blame for violence in Charlottesville to the protesters gathered in the Virginia town to call out racists, including neo-Nazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Trump, again, brought up Charlottesville during his speech Tuesday night.
‘I hit ’em with neo-Nazi, I hit ’em with everything. KKK? We have KKK. I got ’em all,’ Trump said, trying to argue that he had thoroughly called out white supremacist groups, despite the fact that it took him two days.
He also suggested that there were ‘weak, weak people’ calling for Confederate statues to be removed.
‘They’re trying to take away our culture. They’re trying to take away our history,’ the president argued.
Clapper told Lemon he was questioning Trump’s fitness for office.
‘And I also am beginning to wonder about his motivation for – maybe he is looking for a way out,’ Clapper guessed.
The CNN guest then turned on Trump’s fans.
‘I do wonder as well the people attracted to this rally … what are they thinking?’ he asked. ‘Or why am I so far off base?’
‘Because I don’t understand the adulation,’ he stated.