SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"He's weak and he's ineffective," then-private citizen Donald Trump said of former President Barack Obama in 2011. (Photo: Twitter/Screengrab)
Video of Trump Warning 'Our President Will Start a War With Iran Because He Has Absolutely No Ability to Negotiate' Resurfaces
"The only way he figures that he's going to get reelected—and as sure as you're sitting there—is to start a war with Iran," Trump said of Obama in 2011.
Jan 02, 2020
Video footage of then-private citizen Donald Trump warning in 2011 that "our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate" resurfaced Thursday night after the U.S. assassinated Iran's top military leader and six others in a drone strike in Baghdad, sparking fears of a catastrophic regional and possibly global conflict.
Trump, of course, was referring to former President Barack Obama, who he called "weak and ineffective" and accused of attempting to start a war with Iran to boost his reelection chances.
"So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected--and as sure as you're sitting there--is to start a war with Iran," Trump said at the time.
Obama went on to win reelection in 2012 without launching a war with Iran. In 2015, the U.S., Iran, and other major nations adopted the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump effectively shredded last year.
Watch the clip, which Washington Post video editor J.M. Rieger tweeted Thursday night:
In his second tweet since the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani--the first was an image of the American flag--Trump wrote that "Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!"
Critics voiced a mixture of alarm and confusion in response to the president's brief statement. "Trump is just dropping vague, wrong, unhelpful comments into a tense and volatile situation," said the Post's Josh Rogin.
Robert Maguire, research director with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, added, "The guy who sold himself as the greatest negotiator in history is tweeting about how hard it is to negotiate with the country he might have started a war with instead."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Video footage of then-private citizen Donald Trump warning in 2011 that "our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate" resurfaced Thursday night after the U.S. assassinated Iran's top military leader and six others in a drone strike in Baghdad, sparking fears of a catastrophic regional and possibly global conflict.
Trump, of course, was referring to former President Barack Obama, who he called "weak and ineffective" and accused of attempting to start a war with Iran to boost his reelection chances.
"So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected--and as sure as you're sitting there--is to start a war with Iran," Trump said at the time.
Obama went on to win reelection in 2012 without launching a war with Iran. In 2015, the U.S., Iran, and other major nations adopted the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump effectively shredded last year.
Watch the clip, which Washington Post video editor J.M. Rieger tweeted Thursday night:
In his second tweet since the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani--the first was an image of the American flag--Trump wrote that "Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!"
Critics voiced a mixture of alarm and confusion in response to the president's brief statement. "Trump is just dropping vague, wrong, unhelpful comments into a tense and volatile situation," said the Post's Josh Rogin.
Robert Maguire, research director with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, added, "The guy who sold himself as the greatest negotiator in history is tweeting about how hard it is to negotiate with the country he might have started a war with instead."
From Your Site Articles
Video footage of then-private citizen Donald Trump warning in 2011 that "our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate" resurfaced Thursday night after the U.S. assassinated Iran's top military leader and six others in a drone strike in Baghdad, sparking fears of a catastrophic regional and possibly global conflict.
Trump, of course, was referring to former President Barack Obama, who he called "weak and ineffective" and accused of attempting to start a war with Iran to boost his reelection chances.
"So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected--and as sure as you're sitting there--is to start a war with Iran," Trump said at the time.
Obama went on to win reelection in 2012 without launching a war with Iran. In 2015, the U.S., Iran, and other major nations adopted the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump effectively shredded last year.
Watch the clip, which Washington Post video editor J.M. Rieger tweeted Thursday night:
In his second tweet since the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani--the first was an image of the American flag--Trump wrote that "Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!"
Critics voiced a mixture of alarm and confusion in response to the president's brief statement. "Trump is just dropping vague, wrong, unhelpful comments into a tense and volatile situation," said the Post's Josh Rogin.
Robert Maguire, research director with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, added, "The guy who sold himself as the greatest negotiator in history is tweeting about how hard it is to negotiate with the country he might have started a war with instead."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy