‘Very bad choice’: Trump threatens to cut Iraq aid if Maliki returns as PM
Trump warned that the US would “no longer help Iraq” if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returns to power, saying his previous leadership had brought chaos and poverty.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will “no longer help” Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki becomes its next prime minister.
Trump made it clear that his administration opposes a third term for Maliki, who is eyeing a political comeback more than a decade after resigning under pressure in 2014 following the Islamic State’s blitz through Iraq.
“I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday. “Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again.”
“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” he continued. “If we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!"
Maliki served as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, steering the government through the turbulence that followed the US-led invasion that toppled longtime Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein. Now 75, he is a divisive figure in Iraq, having been accused of stoking sectarian tensions while in office and allowing Iran to increase its influence.
The Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shiite-led parties, on Saturday nominated Maliki as their candidate for prime minister, citing his “political and administrative experience and his role in managing the state” in a statement.
Victoria Taylor, the deputy assistant secretary for Iraq and Iran under the Biden administration, said what stands out about Trump’s post “is not that the United States is opposing a third term for Nouri al-Maliki, it's that the United States waited so long in this process to make its objections to Maliki known.”
"Iraq is no longer top of mind for US policymakers, and perhaps they were not paying attention as the momentum continued to grow behind Maliki's candidacy,” Taylor said.
After electing a new speaker on Dec. 29, the Iraqi constitution requires parliament to select a president within 30 days, who would then task a prime-minister designate with forming the next government.
A parliamentary session scheduled for Tuesday was postponed to give the two main Kurdish parties more time to agree on a nominee for president. Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, a Kurd serves as president, a Sunni as speaker and a Shiite as prime minister.
This developing story has been updated.
