RALEIGH, N.C.—Donald Trump offered surprising, if qualified, praise for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at a rally here Tuesday night, describing him as “a bad guy” who also happened to be good at killing terrorists.

Speaking to about 2,000 people at a rally in what is expected to be a battleground state this fall, the presumptive Republican nominee had been trashing President Obama’s handling of terrorism and offering a critique of the ability of his likely Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, to keep the country safe, when he veered off written notes.

“Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right?” Trump declared. “He was a bad guy, really bad guy. But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn’t read them rights. They didn’t talk. They were terrorists. It was over.”

Trump, who supported the Iraq War in the early months of the conflict but later disavowed it, also criticized the United States’ decision to invade Iraq and remove Hussein from power, suggesting it “destabilized the region.”

“Today, Iraq is the Harvard for terrorism,” Trump said. “You want to be a terrorist, you go to Iraq. It’s like Harvard, OK?”

Slideshow: Not just Saddam: Other strongmen who have received Trump’s praise >>>

Trump’s comments, which quickly made the rounds on social media, came just minutes after he was introduced by Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who is also considered a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump.

But it wasn’t the first time Trump seemed to have nice words for the Iraqi dictator. Speaking at a New Hampshire politics event in January 2014, more than a year before he launched his insurgent bid for the presidency, Trump offered similar praise for Hussein, who was removed from power in 2003 and ultimately sentenced to death in 2006.

“Whether you liked Saddam or not,” Trump said at the time, “he used to kill terrorists.”

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Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Raleigh, N.C. (Photo: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

Trump has frequently criticized the Obama administration’s approach to terrorism, suggesting that the U.S. doesn’t go far enough in pursuing and punishing those who would bring harm to the country. He has advocated using waterboarding and other methods rejected by critics as torture.

On Tuesday night, the Clinton campaign seized on Trump’s comments, pointing to friendly comments he has offered about other controversial foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Donald Trump’s praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds,” Jake Sullivan, a Clinton foreign policy adviser, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Trump’s latest comment seemed to catch Republicans off guard, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, Ryan seemed surprised by Trump’s remarks but then quickly rejected them. “He was one of the 20th century’s most evil people,” the Wisconsin congressman said.