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You are here: Home / 2016 Campaign / Gates Remains Troubled by Trump
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Gates Remains Troubled by Trump

May 15, 2016 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates told CBS News the he has some “real issues” with presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s positions on national security issues as well as his temperament.

Said Gates: “You can’t have a trade war with China and then turn around and ask them to help you on North Korea. I have no idea what his policy would be in terms of dealing with ISIS. I worry a little bit about his admiration for Vladimir Putin.”

He’s also concerned about Trump’s go-it-alone strategy: “I guess one of the things that makes it challenging for me is that he seems to think that he has all the answers and that he doesn’t need advice from staff or anybody else.”

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Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Robert Gates


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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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