Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Monday that Donald Trump has “touched a nerve in our country.”
In an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer on “Today,” Rumsfeld said Trump “has caused people to respond in a way that most politicians have not been able to do.”
Rumsfeld argued, “The fact that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are able to draw 10, 15, 20, 30 thousand people to hear them speak says there’s something going on in our country that they’re appealing to in a very interesting, unusual way.”
When asked would have thought if he was told 20 years ago that Trump would be the front-runner for the GOP, Rumsfeld said, “It was out of the question. It’s just amazing. This election year is so different from most, if not all, of the earlier ones I’ve experienced.”
Lauer followed up, “So as you watch what’s unfolding as a conservative Republican, do you see Donald Trump as someone who can unite and broaden the party? Or do you see someone who is going to divide the party?
Rumsfeld said, “Well, it seems to me, I see someone who [has] touched a nerve in our country.”
Regarding Jeb Bush’s candidacy and his quest to gain “traction,” Rumsfeld said, “I suppose there’s people who are uncomfortable with a dynasty on the Democrat side or the Republican side.”
WATCH: