President Donald Trump’s own threats have backed him into a corner in his face-off against Iran, his longtime biographer said.
Author Michael Wolff said the 79-year-old president forced himself into a lose-lose situation when he repeatedly issued threats against Iran over its hostile response to anti-government protesters and the long-running tensions between Washington and Tehran over a nuclear deal.
“I think he’s got himself in somewhat of a serious pickle here,” Wolff told Inside Trump’s Head co-host Joanna Coles. “You know, if he doesn’t go at this point, I mean, he kind of really looks weak and he’s already backpedaled this quite a bit.”
At the start of the year, as the Iranian government came down on dissenters in a crackdown that killed thousands, Trump warned on Truth Social that “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Later in January, Trump threw his weight behind Iranian protesters, writing, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!”
Iran said it was ready to “immediately and powerfully” respond to “any aggression.” Trump didn’t deliver on his threats, but has continued to threaten Iran this month—this time, over a deal to curb its nuclear program.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” he said on Truth Social. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”
Multiple outlets citing national security officials have reported that the U.S. could launch strikes on Iran as soon as this weekend, but Trump publicly addressed the matter at the inaugural meeting of his self-styled “Board of Peace” on Thursday.
“We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal,” he said. “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
“He invited all of those protesters into the street under the banner basically of his protection. ‘Help is on the way, warnings to the Iranian regime: If you attack the protesters, you will have to answer to Donald Trump,’” Wolff said. “Then, of course, they did attack the protesters at a level beyond anyone’s imagination. And Trump, what did he do? Nothing.”
“What does that make him look like?” he continued. “Or he can go forward. But the problem of going forward—which is why he didn’t go forward the first time—is that it’s very complicated.”
Wolff said White House sources have described Trump, who has billed himself as the “Peace President,” as reluctant to go to war because “it’s too complicated for him. He doesn’t like to listen to generals.”
“All of the generals are kind of McKinsey-trained guys. He hates that. It’s boring to him,” Wolff said. “So it’s a difficult moment for him to go forward in attacking Iran on a pretty massive scale, I think is the implication.”
“I think he’s caught in the middle of this, you know—he can’t back down because then he’s going to look weak. He doesn’t want to go forward because it’s so complicated.”
The White House responded with its boilerplate attack on Wolff.
“Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s— and has been proven to be a fraud. He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said.
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The post How Trump’s Threats Have Left Him Exposed: Wolff appeared first on The Daily Beast.
