In the same breath, Donald Trump praises, criticizes Saddam Hussein

(Image credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

published 6 July 2016

Donald Trump told a crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday that deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein wasn't a good person, but had a knack for killing "terrorists."

"He was a bad guy — really bad guy," Trump said. "But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. It was over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism. You want to be a terrorist, you go to Iraq."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who earlier in the day said Trump needs to "clean up" his social media posts, rebuked Trump during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night, saying Hussein, considered by the U.S. government a major sponsor of terrorism, was "one of the 20th century's most evil people." Hillary Clinton's senior campaign adviser, Jake Sullivan, also jumped on the remarks, noting that Trump previously lauded North Korea's Kim Jong Un. "Trump's praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds," he said.

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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.