Donald Trump once again chatted by phone with news anchors, this time to express support for Israel‘s military strikes on Iran.
Bret Baier, on vacation, called into Fox News@Night and told anchor Trace Gallagher that “the president was aware of Israel’s actions before it happened. There were no surprises here. But he gave me a quote. He said, ‘Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb. We hope they get back to the negotiating table. We’ll see. There are several people in leadership in Iran that will not be coming back.’”
Baier added, “The president told me he’s looking to see what the retaliation may be. CENTCOM is on high alert. The U.S. will defend its — will help defend Israel if needed. And as I mentioned the last time we talked, the Iron Dome has been replenished in Israel in recent weeks.
“So there’s still this hope in the president’s sense and the people around him that this changes the dynamic for Iran and that this does not launch into what will be a back-and-forth. But we just saw the post from the supreme leader saying that this is the beginning of a major, major retaliation and that Israel, in his words, has sealed its fate.”
CNN’s Dana Bash said on Friday morning that she just spoke with Trump on the phone and he told her, “We of course support Israel, obviously and supported it like nobody has ever supported it.”
“Iran should have listened to me when I said – you know I gave them, I don’t know if you know but I gave them a 60-day warning and today is day 61,” Trump said, per Bash.
Trump’s comments follow the White House initial reaction to the attacks, in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement that focused on the protection of U.S. interests in the region, not whether the U.S. supported the attacks.
But Iran confirmed that the attacks killed some of its top military leaders, per The New York Times, which also reported that it also struck a critical nuclear facility.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”
A week ago, Trump also spoke by phone to news anchors and correspondents, this time to talk about his falling out with Elon Musk.
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PREVIOUSLY: Broadcast and cable networks went to special reports Thursday for Israel’s attack on Iran, with reports that nuclear sites were targeted.
The Israel defense minister said in a statement that the strikes were “preemptive,” news outlets reported tonight.
On ABC News, anchor Linsey Davis went to Marcus Moore in Tel Aviv, where he was in a shelter.
“The tension has already been high across the region,” Moore said, adding that air raid sirens went off, given the expectation that Iran would launch retaliatory strikes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
CBS News also had a special report with John Dickerson anchoring, with a feed of Press Tv showing explosions in Tehran. NBC News provided a crawl on the broadcast network but later went to a special report with Gadi Schwartz anchoring and going to Richard Engel. There was continuous coverage on cable news networks and on the broadcasters’ streaming channels.
Earlier on Thursday, amid speculation that tensions in the region were escalating, President Donald Trump posted on X, “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
