Former CIA Director John Brennan appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday to unload his candid thoughts about President Trump's leadership, as well as Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"He is mean-spirited; he is dishonest; he has shown a lack of integrity; he has continued to, I think, demean the office of the presidency," Brennan said of Trump. Brennan served as CIA director under former President Barack Obama, from March 2013 until January 2017.
Brennan has been a vocal opponent of Trump on Twitter, taking issue with his recent firing of Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI. He said that Trump's "impetuousness" and "ignorance" compelled him to speak out, even as he admitted he'd never criticized a president's character so harshly before.
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.
"I worked for six presidents," said Brennan. "I didn't agree with some of their policies, but all of them, all of them, were trying to do what they thought was best for the United States. That's not Mr. Trump, he is self-absorbed and he is trying to just promote his own interests."
Trump's "fawning over Putin" also struck Brennan as problematic, as he theorized that Trump had reason to fear the Russian president and speculated that Russian officials may "have something" to hold over Trump. Watch the rest of Brennan's appearance below, via MSNBC. Summer Meza
-
Crossword: August 27, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
August 27 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include a KKK rebrand, Donald Trump vs. Gavin Newsom, and Ghislaine Maxwell as the new Celebrity Apprentice
-
The mission to demine UkraineThe Explainer An estimated quarter of the nation – an area the size of England – is contaminated with landmines and unexploded shells from the war
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportationSpeed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other citiesspeed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records requestSpeed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by TrumpSpeed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
