Why Henry Kissinger is optimistic about Trump and his policies

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says he never imagined President-elect Donald Trump would make a viable candidate. But now that the billionaire businessman is weeks away from his inauguration, Dr. Kissinger says he believes Mr. Trump could present an “extraordinary opportunity” for the nation and its foreign relations.

“Donald Trump is a phenomenon that foreign countries have not seen,” Kissinger said on "Face The Nation." “So it is a shocking experience for them that he came into office. At the same time, extraordinary opportunity. I believe he has the possibility of going down in history as a very considerable president.”

Many seasoned politicians and experts issued warnings against Trump’s brazen rhetoric and lack of political experience as he campaigned for the nation’s highest office. During the transition period thus far, those concerns have continued, with experts decrying Trump’s lack of attention to intelligence briefings and his controversial cabinet appointments.

But Kissinger, who served as secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, remains optimistic about Trump’s potential influence on the international community, saying he hopes the president-elect can harness the same appeal he used to start his own political revolution to shape a foreign policy plan. ...