Trump warns against Nouri al-Maliki’s return as prime minister of Iraq

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrives to his political block campaign rally in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

(CNN) — U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Iraq over reinstatement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, saying that the country “descended into poverty and total chaos” under his previous leadership.

“That should not be allowed to happen again” Trump wrote on social media Tuesday. “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.

CNN has reached out to al-Maliki’s office for comment.

He was nominated by the Shia Coordination Framework —which holds a parliamentary majority — to serve again as Iraq’s prime minister, citing his “political and administrative experience and role in managing the state.”

Iraq held nationwide elections in November for 329 seats in parliament. Shiite alliances won 187 seats. Shia Muslims make up the majority of Iraq’s population.

Iraq’s president, Abdul Latif Rashid, congratulated al-Maliki on his nomination in a statement on Sunday and expressed hope that his leadership would strengthen political stability, national partnership, and Iraq’s development, while meeting the aspirations of the Iraqi people for security and services.

Born in 1968, al-Maliki joined the Iran-backed Dawa Party and later fled Iraq in 1979-1980 after being sentenced to death for opposing Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion.

During al-Maliki’s administration, particularly in late 2013 and the first half of 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) seized several major Iraqi cities and large swaths of territory. This prompted the government to form Shia-led paramilitary forces to counter the Sunni extremists. The United States has long opposed these armed groups and called for their disarmament.

In December, Trump’s special envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, warned Iraqi politicians to rein in non-state armed groups, cautioning that failure could push Iraq toward “fragmentation and decline” more than two decades after Saddam Hussein was toppled.

Savaya also warned 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.”

Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN