Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday that President Donald Trump was acting in exactly the way that China and Russia would like.
Emanuel joined ABC’s “The View” to discuss former President Obama’s comments about Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and he quickly pivoted to attack the president. (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel On Smollett Charges Being Dropped — ‘A Whitewash Of Justice’)
WATCH:
Emanuel later responded to the news that Trump donor Louis DeJoy was to be named the next Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, using that to argue that the president was undermining institutions in a way that would certainly benefit the Chinese and the Russians.
“You know, I used to joke at the White House — besides saying never allow a good crisis to go to waste — you know, even paranoid people have enemies too. So I do think we should look at what’s going on at the Post Office as a two-fer, not a one-fer. It’s not just a one-off, one trick pony attack,” Emanuel explained.
“And look, everything China and Russia are trying to do to America is to destroy our confidence in the institutions we have and in our government,” he continued, arguing that Trump’s actions were consistent in undermining systems that were in place.
“He is undermining, whether it’s the Post Office, whether it’s the court system, whether it’s the rule of law, whether it’s actually how you respond to a pandemic or public health system, he is undermining all our confidence,” Emanuel concluded. “When you look at what Trump’s doing, it’s really not different than what the Chinese and Russians are trying to do … I think that’s the biggest threat we have right now and Trump seems to be a pawn in their efforts.”
Despite Emanuel’s claims, the Trump administration has imposed hefty sanctions on Russia and has vowed to hold China accountable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.