Donald Trump ‘watches daily two-minute montages of stuff blowing up’
Every day, Donald Trump watches a two-minute montage of the biggest strikes in Iran as an ‘update’ on the war, NBC News found.
Sources described the montage as clips of stuff ‘blowing up’, but it’s also paired with conversations from top military and intelligence advisors.
Some sources close to Trump said they’re worried that the video isn’t showing the full picture of the war to the President who waged it.
The White House has rebuked those suggestions, with Karoline Leavitt saying: ‘That’s an absolutely false assertion coming from someone who has not been present in the room.
‘Anyone present for conversations with President Trump knows he actively seeks and solicits the opinions of everyone in the room and expects full-throated honesty from all of his top advisors.’
Most voters continue to oppose the war in Iran, which has already killed 14 soldiers and thousands of civilians in nearby Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Political analyst and distinguished Service Professor Robert Spitzer, author of four books on the American presidency, previously told Metro that, from Trump’s point of view, a war with Iran is considered ‘America first’.
‘He insists this is in America’s interests—though he has not produced a consistent rationale for starting this war,’ Spitzer told Metro.
A former senior aide to Donald Trump also told Metro that the President is in a ‘vulnerable position’ with his war in Iran – and doesn’t know how to get out of it.
When the conflict began, only 41% of Americans approved of the intervention – far lower than support for any other US conflict in decades.
John Robert Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, told Metro that there is a strong case for regime change in Iran, but Trump hasn’t made this clear to the American public – something which could come back to haunt him.
He said: ‘You’ve always got to be prudent, but when a country is seeking weapons of mass destruction—chemical, biological, or nuclear—and engaging in international terrorism while repressing its own people, it is a problem,’ he warned.
But Ambassador Bolton added: ‘Trump didn’t make it clear to the public, to Congress, or to the Allies. It’s not too late, but it’s getting close.’
‘By failing to make the case, he has put himself in a vulnerable position. He knows he’s in a difficult place, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it.’
Yesterday, Iran received a US plan to pause the war in the Middle East, a proposal sent even as Washington deploys paratroopers and more Marines to the region.
Tehran did not confirm it received the plan and publicly dismissed the diplomatic effort, while launching more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.
Two officials from Pakistan, who delivered the plan to Iran, said it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme, limits on missiles, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
An Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts added that the proposal includes restrictions on Iran’s support for armed groups.
Iran has said it will not discuss its ballistic missile programme or its support of regional militias, which it views as key to its security.
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