Donald Trump is wrong to be relying on his own advice on foreign policy issues, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, tells
Newsmax TV.
On Wednesday, the GOP presidential frontrunner told MSNBC's "Morning Joe," that on foreign policy, "I'm speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I have said a lot of things." He noted he'd written about the threat of Osama bin Laden in 2000, before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
But Hoekstra, former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told "The Hard Line" that brainstorming solo is not a good idea in leadership.
"One of the things that you'll find in politics or in any leader where your biggest adviser is yourself, you're in trouble, especially in the office of president," Hoekstra said Friday to guest host John Bachman.
"You're dealing with so many complex issues, [that] you need a trusted group of advisers in each specialty area whether it's foreign affairs, whether it's the economy, whether it's trade, or whether it's picking a nominee for the Supreme Court.
"Sure you've got your core values and you've got to trust your gut instinct, but before you go there, you need good advice from great advisers."
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Hoekstra, who has endorsed John Kasich for president, said the Ohio governor is a prime example of a politician who smartly relies on good advisers.
"That's the way John structured his campaign, bringing good people around him. Anyone who believes that they themselves are their best adviser on all of these issues is going to have trouble performing their role in any leadership job," he said.
Hoekstra is author of
"Architects of Disaster: The Destruction of Libya," written with Teri Blumenfeld and published by The Calamo Press.
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