President Donald Trump said Iran has 'made fools of us' by dealing with 'very stupid' US presidents in the past, in remarks posted to social media and reported by Israeli channels. Separately, in a published exchange, Trump dismissed the likelihood of a conflict between Israel and Turkey under his presidency, citing his personal relationship with President Erdogan.
President Trump continued his public broadside against Iran on Wednesday evening, posting on Truth Social: 'Iran makes fools of us time and again, because they previously dealt with very weak presidents. I am ashamed to say some very stupid people sat in this office before me.' The post, circulated by Israeli monitoring channels, echoes and sharpens his earlier comments from hours earlier in which he accused Tehran of playing the US 'for suckers.' It comes as the US is actively bombing Iranian air defense and radar systems following the downing of a US Apache helicopter on June 9, a campaign Trump has described as 'very strong, very powerful.' Separately, in what appears to be a published Q&A or press pool exchange, Trump was asked about Turkish President Erdogan's repeated threats against Israel. He answered: 'He's a very good friend of mine. I like him a lot. He's a strong person and a hell of a leader. I don't think that will happen as long as I'm president because he respects me.' The Zioneer earlier published an article Wednesday afternoon under the headline 'Trump Reassures on Turkey: Nothing Will Happen While I Am President,' covering what appears to be the same or an earlier version of that statement. The two sets of remarks — one attacking Iran's past negotiating tactics, the other downplaying the Turkey-Israel threat — were posted close together on monitored channels and represent distinct facets of Trump's ongoing public diplomacy as he manages the US-Iran air campaign and regional tensions.
10 developments
- DevelopingTrump says Iran fooled him, calls Tehran's deal confirmation 'weak and pathetic'
- StrongTrump says US was 'close to a deal' with Iran but was deceived
- DevelopingTrump says he will speak with Turkey, calls Erdogan 'great'
- ConfirmedTrump on potential Israel-Turkey clash: 'Not going to happen while I'm president'
Source and signal
- Internal intake