Donald Trump hailed Bill Clinton’s economic track record during a 2008 interview despite the Republican nominee’s latest barrage of attacks against his presidential legacy.
"Whether you like Clinton or don’t like Clinton, we had no deficit for the first time in many years, and were doing well economically," Trump told "Celebrity Apprentice" winner and former CNN anchor Piers Morgan ahead of the 2008 presidential election, BuzzFeed reported Thursday.
"And then [George W.] Bush came in, and wrecked it. After [9/11], America had the chance to be the most popular country in the world. Instead, in a matter of weeks, that man destroyed it," Trump continued.
The business mogul also suggested that Bush should have been impeached after he "purposely lied" to pull America into the Iraq war.
"We have been seriously hurt by Bush and his cronies. I think he will go down as the worst president in history," Trump said. "Clinton was impeached for something that wasn’t one millionth as important."
In May, Trump evoked Clinton’s impeachment while he attacked Hillary Clinton’s treatment of women. Trump condemned the Democratic nominee for remaining married "to a man who got impeached for lying" about his sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinski.
In the same interview with Morgan, Trump predicted that President Obama would win the 2008 election by a wider margin had he selected Hillary Clinton as his running mate.
He then called Bill Clinton "one strong guy" who would "go down as a great president."
Trump has also lauded Hillary Clinton, telling CNN in 2007 he thought the former secretary of state was "terrific" and that he hoped she and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani would both receive the 2008 presidential party nominations.
During Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, Trump again called Clinton "terrific" during an interview with Fox News.
"Hillary Clinton I think is a terrific woman," Trump told Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren. "I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard. And I think, again, she’s given an agenda, it is not all of her, but I think she really works hard and I think she does a good job. I like her."