Former Secretary of State and revered GOP political scientist Henry Kissinger declared "something remarkable" could emerge from President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy, and that he has the chance of going down in history as "a very considerable president."
In an interview on "Face the Nation" aired Sunday, Kissinger said he gave "huge credit" to Trump for "having analyzed an aspect of the American situation," developed a strategy "and prevail" — even against the GOP leadership.
"I had not thought of him as a presidential candidate until he became a presidential candidate," he said. "In the first appearances,I thought it was a transitory phenomenon. Now his challenge is to apply that same skill to the international situation."
On the international stage, Trump is "a phenomenon foreign countries haven't seen," Kissinger said.
"So it is a shocking experience to them that he came into office," he said. "At the same time [it's an] extraordinary opportunity and I believe he has the possibility of going down in history as a very considerable president…"
"He is a new president asking a lot of unfamiliar questions," Kissinger added. "Because of the new questions one can imagine that something remarkable and new emerges out of it. I'm not saying it will, I'm saying it's an extraordinary opportunity."
Kissinger also offered his own advice to Trump: Stay focused, and keep "his mind clear on what the fundamental things are that he has to accomplish."
"One of the hardest things is to distinguish the routine issues that come through from the essential issues that effect the long term and not to let himself get sucked into the battles of the bureaucracy for marginal issues," he said.
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