Trump Humiliated as Viral Exchange with Journo on Iran Backfires Badly

As Trump continues to struggle to explain why he’s bombing Iran, the author of a new piece on his awful justifications explains why this conflict is the most unpopular war in U.S. history.

Donald Trump claims Iran is responsible for the bombing of an elementary school that killed scores of children, even though evidence continues to mount that the United States is responsible. In a striking exchange with a reporter, Trump was asked why no other government official will confirm what he’s saying. He said straight out: “Because I don’t know enough about it.” He then stumbled through some awkward dissembling. But in saying that, Trump accidentally admitted that he’d made an incendiary factual claim about an extraordinarily serious matter without having the foggiest idea what the facts actually are. Trump’s assertions about the school bombing also forced White House Karoline Leavitt to undertake a clumsy clean-up effort. We talked to Paul Waldman, author of a piece at his Substack, The Cross Section, discussing a new analysis showing that Trump’s war is the most unpopular U.S. war in modern history. We discuss why that exchange was so humiliating to Trump, what it revealed about the White House’s indefensible war and his inability to sell it, and the deeper reasons why Americans are not reflexively rallying behind the “commander in chief.” Listen to this episode here.

TNR’s Greg Sargent takes a critical look at the day’s political news and the stories leading NewRepublic.com, and speaks to leading journalists and newsmakers.

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