Donald Trump says he desires to ‘make Iraq nice once more’ as he interferes in one other election
US Presidents interfering in the leadership of Iraq has always gone spectacularly wrong – but Trump has decided to return to that well
Trump made the comments on Truth Social(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Donald Trump has declared he wants to “make Iraq great again” in a bizarre online post – interfering in yet another overseas election.
US Presidents interfering in the leadership of Iraq has always gone spectacularly wrong – but Trump has apparently decided to return to that well. “I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump has frequently sought to influence the elections of other countries through posts on Truth Social in recent – including Argentina and Colombia. But he has rarely referred to Iraq – which given America’s history with the Middle Eastern country, is hardly surprising.
But it may be too late for Trump to interfere in this particular bit of regime change.
After today’s Presidential election in Iraq, the winner will ask the nominee of the largest party in Parliament to form a government. The sole nominee put up by an alliance of Shia blocs who hold the majority.
The 75 year old politician was first elected PM of Iraq in 2006, as the country was unravelling after the US-led invasion of 2003. He stepped down in 2014, after ISIS seized large parts of the country.
But the Shia Coordination Framework said on Saturday that he had been picked for a return to power based on his “political and administrative experience and his role in managing the state”.
Trump is set to give a speech at a rally tonight in Iowa, where he is expected – in theory – to stick to economic topics.
Meanwhile, The Trump administration has notified Congress that it is taking the first steps to possibly reopen the shuttered US Embassy in Venezuela as it explores restoring relations with the South American country following the US military raid that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
