OTTAWA — The United States is led by a “fanatical†and “unspeakable†president whose election marks the “true end of the American Empire,†former prime minister Jean Chrétien says.Chrétien, who served as prime minister between 1993 and 2003, has no kind words for U.S. President Donald Trump, expressing amazement that a world leader could so willingly lie and distort facts.“Can you believe it when he talks? That’s the fundamental question. For me, I never suspected that Clinton or Bush were lying to me,†Chrétien said of former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.“We might not talk about something, refuse to talk about something. But lying? I never expected any of them not to talk truthfully with me,†Chrétien said in an interview to mark the release of his latest book, “My Stories, My Times,†later this month.“For me, in the House of Commons to be accused of lying, it would have been a terrible offence. For him, it’s so what,†Chrétien said.Chrétien has written two previous books on his four decades in political life. He describes this most recent offering as a series of short vignettes and anecdotes.“When I was fed up listening to the nonsense ... of the President of the United States, I decided to gain my sanity in going to my table with my pen in my study,†he said.The book relates meetings with French President Jacques Chirac, the influence of mentor Mitchell Sharp, his dealings with Pierre Trudeau and his time as Minister of Indian Affairs, as the post was once known.But the book is a burnishing of his legacy too, as he describes his role in everything from the naming of Air Canada to the creation of national parks and constitutional talks.In the latest book, Chrétien writes that Americans made a “monumental error†in voting for Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. ...
|
