‘We were ready.’ Trump signals at Ohio rally that Soleimani strike will feature in 2020
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump touted his decision to order the killing of Qasem Soleimani at a campaign rally in Ohio on Thursday, describing the Iranian general as a “sadistic mass murderer” and signaling the confrontation will play heavily into his reelection campaign strategy.
Days after a crisis in Iran threatened to upend his presidency and drag the U.S. into another Middle East war, Trump spoke at length about what he described as “bold and decisive action” to “deliver American justice” via a U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport that killed Soleimani last week.
“He was looking very seriously at our embassies,” Trump said. “We stopped him quickly and we stopped him cold.”
The rally – Trump’sfirst of 2020 –provided the president a venue to explain the latest developments in the Middle East and the perilous relationship between the U.S. and Iran. Trump’s extensive remarks suggested he will use the strike on Soleimani to underscore his foreign policy ahead of this year’s election.
Trump touched on the Iranian response to Soleimani’s death, saying the U.S. was “ready to go” if the rocket attack inflicted additional damage or resulted in the death of U.S. soldiers stationed on the two Iraqi bases that were hit. Trump said he decided to stand down after he saw the relatively minor impact.
“So we didn’t do anything,” he said. “Lots of people got very lucky.”
The crowd roared inapplause as Trump discussed the strike and blasted Democrats for attempting to curb the president’s military power in Iran. Trump’s rally came hours after the Democratic-led House passed a resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran. Democrats have criticized Trump for not consulting Congress on the Soleimani strike and have accused him of recklessness.
“We seek friends, not enemies,” Trump told the audience.
But, he added, “if you dare threaten our citizens, you do so at your own grave peril.”
Minutes after Trump took the stage his remarks were interrupted by protesters holding a banner that read: “NO WAR.”
The Toledo rally is one of three Trump has scheduled so far this month. The others are set for Wisconsin, a critical state for his reelection effort, and New Jersey. It was his first major political event since the confrontation with Iran escalated.
Trump has raised Iran at virtually every political rally he has hosted since entering the White House in 2017. His remarks on one of Washington’s most challenging foes in the Middle East have generally focused on the 2015 multi-national nuclear agreement that offered sanctions relief in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear program.
Trump pulled the U.S. out of that agreement in 2018.
Iran and the U.S. bothmoved Wednesday to deescalate the confrontation. Trump largely avoided saber-rattling during a nine-minute address to the nation and even suggested the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. Iranian leaders, including foreign minister Javad Zarif described the attack as “self-defense.”
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Trump faced a similar test in 2017 as his rhetoric over North Korea began to boil. Trump held an Arizona rally at the end of August just weeks after he threatened to rain “fire and fury” on North Korea. Trump raised the issue at that rally, though his remarks were overshadowed by his comments about the violence in Charlottesville, Va.
“What I said, that’s not strong enough,” Trump said, referring to his “fire and fury” tweet. “Some people said it’s too strong; it’s not strong enough. But Kim Jong Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us. I respect that fact very much.”
The rally in Ohio also comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is poised to send impeachment articles to the Senate, which will determine whether to remove Trump from office. Pelosi said Thursday that she would transmit those articles “soon.” The Republican-led Senate is expected to acquit Trump on the charges of abusing his power and obstructing the congressional probe into his interactions with Ukraine.
Trump slammed Pelosi and other Democrats for pursuing the impeachment, arguing that the House speaker is “not playing with a full deck.”
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Trump carried Ohio in the 2016 election with nearly 52% of the vote. By rallying in Toledo he can also draw from supporters in nearby Michigan, which he won narrowly.
