Bill Clinton slams Donald Trump’s governing style: ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before in my lifetime’

Former US President Bill Clinton criticised Donald Trump’s defiance of legal norms and called for a renewed national focus on common ground, warning against political intimidation and democratic erosion.

Clinton described Trump’s governing style as unprecedented in modern US history.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before in my lifetime – somebody that says, ‘Whatever I want should be the law of the land. It’s my way or the highway,” he told CBS. “And most Americans don’t agree with that.”

Clinton also suggested Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and disregard for norms may have diminished his popularity.

“I like to think that he’s paid a price for this – you know, name-calling and throwing his weight around… I think it’s made him less popular.”

“Only elections are going to change this”

Clinton emphasised that the only path to countering Trump's lies is democratic participation, saying, “Only elections are going to change this.”

He said Democratic gains in this year’s gubernatorial races and a potential House win in 2026 could help galvanise opposition to Trump. He also pointed to the judiciary as a remaining check on executive overreach.

On Trump’s attempts to undermine legal representation

Clinton condemned Trump’s reported efforts to prevent law firms from representing clients before federal agencies if they opposed him.

“That ain’t America,” Clinton said. “We’ve never done that. The whole purpose of having a legal system is to have both sides be heard.”

He praised the courts — including judges appointed by Trump — for resisting these attempts: “The courts are stopping the president, including a lot of judges he appointed… He is looking for ways to basically defy all these court orders. But I think he’ll have a hard time doing that. And if he does, I think it will hurt him in America.”

Call for unity: “What we have in common matters more”

Despite acknowledging deep political divisions, Clinton urged Americans to reject humiliation and divisiveness in favour of mutual respect.

“Someone needs to stand up and say, ‘Damn it, what we have in common matters more. We cannot throw the legacy of this country away. We cannot destroy other people’s trust in us.’”

“We gotta just calm down and try to pull people together again. That’s what I think.”

Clinton on Biden’s fitness: “He was always on top of his briefs”

Clinton dismissed claims from a recent book that questioned former President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities, saying he never observed any decline.

“I thought he was a good president… I had never seen him and walked away thinking, He can’t do this anymore. He was always on top of his briefs.”

He admitted he hadn’t read the book, stating: “I didn’t want to. 'Cause he’s not president anymore, and I think he did a good job. And I think we are facing challenges today without precedent in our history. And some people are trying to use this as a way to blame him for the fact that Trump was reelected.”