John Brennan, former CIA chief, calls Trump ‘incompetent … somewhat delusional’ after G-7 summit

Foreign leaders have likely determined President Trump to be “somewhat delusional” with respect to his world view, former CIA director John O. Brennan said Monday.

Mr. Brennan stated the assumption after Mr. Trump met this weekend with leaders from fellow members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, or G-7, in Biarritz, France.

“I think they realize that he is way, way out of his depth, that he is incompetent, but also he is somewhat delusional as far as how he views the world and his inability to grasp the reality of the geostrategic situation around the globe today,” Mr. Brennan said on MSNBC.

“I think they’re all just trying to handle Trump the best they can. They recognize that although they might not like and respect the person, he still, unfortunately, represents America on the world stage, and they want to maintain and strengthen relations with the United States because they know that one day Trump will no longer be in the Oval Office,” added Mr. Brennan.

The director of the CIA during former President Barack Obama’s second term in office, Mr. Brennan specifically raised concerns with Mr. Trump proposing ahead of the latest G-7 summit that its members invite Russia when they meet in 2020.

Russia previously belonged to the then-Group of Eight, of G-8, but was expelled during the Obama administration in 2014 in response to annexing Crimea from neighboring Ukraine. Mr. Trump said last week that he thinks it would be “appropriate” to readmit Russia, prompting pushback over the weekend from several fellow G7 members.

“It just shows that Donald Trump still does not grasp the seriousness of what it is that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has done,” Mr. Brennan said.

“I really miss being in the intelligence business, because I would love to find out what it is that these leaders are saying behind the scenes to themselves about Mr. Trump. I can just imagine. And, unfortunately, I think it’s something that we as Americans should be very, very concerned about,” Mr. Brennan added.

The White House did not immediately return a message requesting comment.

Mr. Brennan, 63, joined the CIA in 1980 and acted as its director from 2013 through January 2017. He has since become one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal critics on cable news, currently serving as a senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News.