From my previous cites:
The Pentagon papers on Saddam state:
“under Saddam, the Iraqi regime used its paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam training camps to train terrorists for use inside and outside Iraq. In 1999, the top ten graduates of each Fedayeen Saddam class were specifically chosen for assignment to London, from there to be ready to conduct operations anywhere in Europe.”[13] Saddam was training non-Iraqi’s to carry out terrorist actions throughout Europe.
he Pentagon papers on Saddam go on to explain the following specific training that was supplied in Iraq:
“Re-equipping and training Palestinian fighters in al-Quds training camps [in Iraq].
Establishing and activating a course to train Arab Liberation Front fighters on martyrdom operations.
Establishing fighter schools for Arab volunteers and later Iraqi volunteers.
Re-establishing and re-equipping the military base of the Arab Liberation Front.
Training groups from the occupied territories [Palestine] on light weapons and tanks in secret thirty-day courses.” [14]
State Support of Terrorism
Saddam provided support to terrorists that only a state could provide by issuing passports to known terrorists so they could move about freely. The Pentagon papers on Saddam state the
“M8 annual report also notes that among the 699 passports, renewals, and other official documentation that the IIS issued, many were issued to known members of terrorist organizations.”[15]
A specific example of Saddam issuing passports to and harboring a known terrorist is Abu aI-Abbas, a Palestinian Liberation Front leader. Saddam allowed Abu aI-Abbas and his wife to live in Iraq under Saddam’s protection. Saddam went so far as to issue both Abu aI-Abbas and his wife diplomatic passports so they could travel the Middle East freely. “Abu aI-Abbas originally fled to Iraq to avoid an Italian warrant imposing five life terms for his part in the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro and the murder of an American citizen.” [16]
and on and on.
Saddam Hussein should not be the GOP’s model anti-terrorist leader. It’s a really counter-productive debate to engage in.
I suggest you stop debating if you think such debate is counter productive
QED
I think Trump was pointing out that he was a lesser evil than that of Iranian regime like Stalin was someone we had to cooperate with to defeat Hitler.