Donald Trump went before cameras, albeit for less than five minutes, to talk about the fallout from the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. He didn’t take any questions. And reporters likely had a lot to ask after Trump contradicted himself on whether a war is on the horizon.
Moments later, Trump sounds a bellicose warning to Iran about retaliation and says the U.S. already has targets identified: "I am ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary. And that in particular refers to Iran."
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) January 3, 2020
He didn’t give any indication of what that action would be. And with thousands of troops being quickly deployed to the region, we are only left to imagine what the next step is. And what kind of timeline, if any has been put into place. Trump seemed to suggest more steps will be taken soon though, “We do not seek regime change however the region including use of proxy fighters to destabilize its neighbors must end and it must end now.”
Fact-checking and criticism of the president’s statement, which you can watch above, is already underway.
Beyond my capacity, but skepticism is always warranted. Trump hasn’t provided details or evidence. https://t.co/llnFcq7Cql https://t.co/626UgAZibF
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2020
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) wrote, “The idea that you prevent war with a country by killing its leaders is not only not a strategy, it is not even a rational thought.”
The situation with Iran enters new levels of potential peril – more reason to avoid leaping to assumptions or conclusions, by the public, political partisans, the media, etc. We need facts and a serious focus on developments as they occur (as opposed to speculation & guesswork).
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) January 3, 2020
