The conversation around leadership and accountability took center stage during a candid interview with former President Bill Clinton, aired on “CBS Sunday Morning” on June 1, 2025.
Clinton didn’t hold back as he reflected on the state of U.S. politics, specifically addressing the conduct of President Donald Trump and the fitness of President Joe Biden.
When asked whether President Trump’s power has limits, Clinton replied confidently, “Oh yeah,” and pointed to the judiciary—ironically, including many of Trump’s own appointees—as the key institution reining him in.
According to Clinton, Trump’s repeated attempts to sidestep legal boundaries show a concerning trend, but he believes there are mechanisms in place to push back. Still, he warned that if those efforts to evade accountability succeed, they could inflict lasting harm not just on Trump himself, but on the nation.
Clinton went on to criticize the former president’s approach to leadership, calling it authoritarian in tone and divisive in effect. “We’ve never seen anything like this before in my lifetime,” he said. “Somebody that says, ‘Whatever I want should be the law of the land. It’s my way or the highway.’” He suggested that Americans, by and large, reject such a mindset and argued that Trump has already “paid a price” for his behavior through declining popularity.
He further condemned Trump’s attempts to disempower the legal system, including reports of barring legal firms from federal buildings simply for defending clients with opposing views. “That ain’t America,” Clinton said, adding that a true legal system must allow both sides to be heard. He called for unity over division and stressed the need for preserving shared national values and rebuilding public trust.
