John Boehner clarifies Trump ‘disaster’ comments: ‘I like the president’

Former House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday sought to clarify recent headline-making comments he made claiming Donald Trump’s presidency has been a “complete disaster.”

Mr. Boehner, who resigned from Congress in October 2015, addressed the comments during the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers Employee Leadership Forum in Colorado Springs, Politico reported.

“Some people have gotten carried away in their interpretation of what I said,” the Republican stated. “Listen, Donald Trump is my friend. He was my supporter, I play golf with him, and frankly, I like the president. I voted for him. I want him to succeed, and frankly, I want the country to succeed. But I’ve seen some people write — I think they’ve gotten a little carried away in their interpretation of what I said.

“I did not say that the president’s policies were a disaster,” he continued. “I did not say that the president’s agenda was a disaster. What I was referring to was the execution of the president’s agenda and the president’s policies. And frankly, I think there have been a number of missteps, unforced errors that the president has made and I think the White House would agree that they’ve had their share of mistakes as the president learns to be the president.”

Mr. Boehner went on to praise a number of Mr. Trump’s accomplishments, adding that the president has done a “marvelous job” with foreign policy.

“Our allies around the world could not be more thrilled,” he said.

“I think his effort to get Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court was a giant step, because Gorsuch is going to be there for the next 20 or 30 years. It’s a big step in the right direction,” Mr. Boehner continued. “Frankly, his deregulatory policies have been very successful as well.

“So, I hope that this clarifies, corrects the record that some have put out there,” he said.

In remarks first reported by Rigzone, Mr. Boehner told a crowd at the KPMG Global Energy Conference last week that Mr. Trump’s presidency had been a “disaster” with the exception of foreign policy and health care.

“Everything else he’s done [in office] has been a complete disaster,” he reportedly said May 24. “He’s still learning how to be president.”

“I just never envisioned him in that role,” he said.