Hillary Clinton’s top aides on Friday unloaded on Donald Trump as “a reckless and erratic egomaniac” concerned only about himself, hours after the presumptive Republican nominee praised the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union and cast the decision as good for his business interests.
"Donald Trump has consistently shown disregard for our friends and allies around the world and has talked about a weaker, less confident, less secure America,” senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan said on a conference call with reporters. "Every time there’s a significant national or global event, Donald Trump proves again that he is temperamentally unfit for the job.”
The Clinton team spoke in response to Trump’s comments at a news conference earlier at his resort Turnberry in Scotland. Trump called Britain’s vote to withdraw from the EU “a great thing,” even as the decision sent global markets into freefall and the nation’s currency, the pound sterling, to its lowest value since the 1970s.
“When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry, frankly,” Trump added during an afternoon news conference. “For traveling and for other things, I think it very well could turn out to be a positive.”
Clinton aides eagerly seized on the remarks. In recent weeks, the former secretary of state has repeatedly suggested Trump is fundamentally unqualified to be president, and her team Friday said his comments on the so-called Brexit vote was the latest evidence to support that claim.
They said that the former secretary of state’s chief priority is to ensure American families “aren’t hurt by this vote and its aftermath.” Clinton, who came out against Brexit in April, issued a statement to that effect earlier Friday, but did not do any additional interviews.
Asked whether Clinton has spoken with European leaders today, Sullivan said no because they "have their hands full dealing with the immediate crisis and that should be their first priority.”
Her aides also brushed off the suggestion what happened in the UK could happen in America, denying that the outcome would create more support for Trump. "It’s important that we recognize that this American election is about what is happening here in America, not what’s happening in Yorkshire or in Cardiff,” Sullivan said.
Communications director Jennifer Palmieri echoed that sentiment, adding: "Britain and the United States are different countries and this country has weathered the recession better than the United Kingdom or other countries in Europe. We had a stronger recovery.”
Americans, she argued, are “going to see the need for steady leadership and someone who doesn’t just offer anger, but offers solutions.”
