WASHINGTON, Jan 28 — Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on social media Tuesday against the potential reinstatement of Nouri al-Maliki as Iraq’s prime minister, asserting that his previous leadership led the country into poverty and chaos.
Trump emphasized, “That should not be allowed to happen again,” adding, “Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq. If we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of success, prosperity, or freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!”
Al-Maliki, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, previously served two consecutive terms as Iraq’s prime minister from 2006 to 2014. He was nominated by the Shia Coordination Framework, which holds a parliamentary majority, to serve again, citing his extensive political and administrative experience and role in managing the state.
Iraq’s November elections resulted in Shiite alliances winning 187 of the 329 parliamentary seats. The country’s president, Abdul Latif Rashid, congratulated al-Maliki on his nomination and expressed hope that his leadership would bolster political stability, national unity, and development, aligning with the aspirations of the Iraqi people for security and improved services.
Born in 1950, al-Maliki joined the Iran-backed Dawa Party in 1968. He fled Iraq in 1979-1980 after being sentenced to death for opposing Saddam Hussein’s regime. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein but plunged Iraq into years of violence and insurgency.
During his tenure as prime minister, particularly in late 2013 and early 2014, Iraq faced significant turmoil as ISIS captured major cities and large territories, prompting the government to form Shia-led paramilitary forces to combat Sunni extremists. The United States has long opposed these armed groups and called for their disarmament.
In December, U.S. special envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, warned Iraqi politicians to control non-state armed groups, cautioning that failure to do so could lead Iraq toward “fragmentation and decline” more than two decades after Saddam Hussein’s removal.
Savaya emphasized that the decisions made by Iraqi leaders in the coming period “will determine whether Iraq advances toward sovereignty and strength or slips back into fragmentation and decline.”