Syria's Bashar al-Assad doesn't think Clinton, Trump have enough experience to be president

Bashar al-Assad.
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is weighing in on the U.S. presidential election, saying he thinks the candidates have a "dangerous" lack of experience.

In an interview with NBC News, Assad, whose country erupted in civil war five years ago and has entire cities controlled by the Islamic State, said someone working in the government or foreign affairs for "a few years" is not prepared to become president. "Who had this experience before?" he asked. "Obama? Or George Bush? Or [Bill] Clinton before? None of them had any experience. This is the problem with the United States ... Of course it is dangerous for the country generally."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.