Trump: World would be better off if Saddam still in power

The world would be a better place if dictators such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were still in power, top Republican US presidential hopeful Donald Trump says.

The billionaire real estate tycoon also tells CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show that the Middle East “blew up” around US President Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

“100 percent,” Trump said when asked if the world would be better off with Hussein and Gaddafi still at the helm in Iraq and Libya.

“People are getting their heads chopped off. They’re being drowned. Right now it’s far worse than ever under Saddam Hussein or Gaddafi,” Trump says.

“I mean, look what happened. Libya is a catastrophe. Libya is a disaster. Iraq is a disaster. Syria is a disaster. The whole Middle East. It all blew up around Hillary Clinton and around Obama. It blew up.”

Calling Iraq the “Harvard of terrorism,” Trump says the country had turned into a “training ground for terrorists.

“If you look at Iraq from years ago, I’m not saying he [Saddam]) was a nice guy. He was a horrible guy but it’s better than it is now,” Trump said.

Trump says his foreign policy strategy would be centered around beefing up the US military.

“All I know is this: We’re living in Medieval times… We’re living in an unbelievably dangerous and horrible world,” he says.

“The Trump doctrine is simple,” he adds. “It’s strength. It’s strength. Nobody is going to mess with us. Our military will be made stronger.”

— AFP