Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called President Donald Trump "an embarrassment" and said he "is doing great damage to our country internationally" in an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star.
Hagel, who is also a former Nebraska Republican senator, said the United States and the world have entered "a defining year, a year of volatility and uncertainty and great danger."
His criticism of Trump on numerous fronts comes amid continued fallout from the president reportedly referring to Haiti and African countries as "s***holes" during a closed-door immigration meeting with congressmen.
Hagel expressed disgust at Trump's attacks on the intelligence community, saying the country has "a president who minimizes his own intelligence community, and that is quite astounding."
He also accused the president of "intentionally dividing the country and the world," pulling away from alliances that have benefited the U.S. and withdrawing from trade agreements that have been in American interests.
"I was philosophically a Republican with a conservative voting record, but that did not mean I would always go along with the party," Hagel said.
He stressed that politicians "take an oath of office not to a president, not to a party, not to a philosophy, but to the Constitution of the United States," and that in the end every person must "make a decision based on the right thing for the country."
Hagel was also critical of Trump in other areas, saying that "'my button is bigger than yours' is irresponsible kind of talk," referring to a tweet that Trump aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The former defense secretary said the United States should initiate negotiations with Pyongyang, because "engagement is not surrender. Great powers are not afraid of talking to people, and it's up to us to take the first step."
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