Dan Quayle says in this election, Trump is 'more qualified' than Clinton to be president


Donald Trump has a new supporter — Dan Quayle, the former vice president, who argues that Trump is the candidate best suited for the White House.
"On paper, you'd say, well, [Hillary Clinton's] more qualified," Quayle said Thursday on the Today show. "But you know what? He's more qualified in the sense that the American people, I think, want an outsider." Quayle is at odds with the president he served under, George H.W. Bush, who will not attend the Republican convention this summer and is not going to endorse Trump.
By the end of his time as vice president (at the hands of Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton), Quayle was more famous for the things he did outside of Washington — he is perhaps best known for shaming fictional character Murphy Brown over single parenthood and urging a 12-year-old to misspell "potato." Until now he had been quiet about this year's race, and acknowledged he was one of the people who underestimated Trump during the primary. "In the normal sorting-out process, the cream usually goes to the top, right?" he told CNN's New Day. "And I didn't realize that Donald Trump was going to be the cream that got to the top. I totally misjudged his ability to win." Quayle said he's certain the Republican Party will soon rally around Trump, and he also doesn't expect to see Trump's tax returns any time soon. "Let me give you a little news flash here: This is gonna be different, he's a different candidate," he said. "It's gonna be a different campaign, so stay tuned."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy
-
Judge blocks key part of Trump's elections overhaul
Speed Read Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's decision temporarily bars federal officials from requiring Americans to prove they are citizens to register to vote
-
Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus
Speed Read Joe Kasper has stepped down, leaving the Defense Secretary 'increasingly isolated'