Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone, President Trump gave a big [00:02] press conference yesterday about the [00:04] war, about Epic Fury. And [00:07] as usual, a lot of what he said was [00:09] misunderstood or taken out of context. [00:11] There's a lot of people who initially [00:12] thought that he was saying the war is [00:14] over. We're done. We're we're moving on [00:16] to the next phase of this. uh as though [00:19] suddenly after all of the talk of going [00:21] full force and how the and how the worst [00:23] is yet to come, what we've been hearing [00:25] from the Israelis and from Heg and from [00:27] Secretary of War Hexath, you know, [00:29] suddenly Trump was putting the brakes on [00:30] it. What does this all mean? Earlier in [00:32] the day, he was giving a different talk [00:34] where he said that we're going full [00:35] steam ahead. So, what does it mean? Is [00:37] he looking for an off-ramp? So, I [00:38] decided to go back to the press [00:40] conference and watch it carefully. And [00:43] what we're going to do in this video is [00:44] we're going to go through a number of [00:46] excerpts of that press conference to see [00:48] what President Trump was actually saying [00:49] about the state of the war. It's very [00:51] important because we are at a critical [00:53] stage. We are at a kind of turning point [00:55] in the war for a lot of reasons I've [00:56] been laying out in recent videos. But [00:59] what we're going to do is we'll go [01:00] through these excerpts. I'll make some [01:01] brief comments and then at the end I'll [01:03] sum up where I think we are in this and [01:06] what I think President Trump was [01:07] actually saying yesterday. Now, before [01:10] we do that, please go over to [01:12] israel365news.com. [01:14] Just type that in as one word. [01:16] Israel365news.com. [01:18] It's a news website written by Jews and [01:20] Christians who are writing from a [01:22] biblical perspective. In this day and [01:24] age, you cannot rely on mainstream media [01:26] to bring you truth about what's going on [01:28] in Israel, what's going on regarding [01:30] Israel in the Middle East. You really [01:31] need to seek it out. and the team that [01:34] I'm part of at Israel365. We have this [01:36] great news website israel365news.com [01:39] and you can click the subscribe button [01:41] in the top corner and you can stay in [01:43] touch and stay informed and get our [01:45] newsletter so that you'll know exactly [01:47] what is going on in the Middle East. All [01:50] right, here's the first clip. And in [01:51] this clip, President Trump, [01:55] hold on a sec, let me find where it [01:57] actually starts here. In this clip, [02:00] President Trump lays out the scope of [02:02] the damage from the opening days uh of [02:06] the of the war. So, let's take a look [02:09] from Iran, which was a big moment in [02:11] history in my opinion, and uh the great [02:15] success we've had in Venezuela and all [02:17] other places. Every place we've gone, [02:20] we've had tremendous success. [02:22] But while we're doing all of these [02:24] things, we're achieving major strides [02:28] toward completing our military [02:30] objective. [02:31] And some people could say they're pretty [02:33] well complete. We've wiped every single [02:36] force in Iran out very completely. Most [02:41] of Iran's naval power power has been [02:44] sunk. It's on the bottom of the sea. [02:47] It's almost 50 ships. I was just [02:50] notified it's 51 ships. I didn't know [02:52] they had that many. Didn't last very [02:55] long. And these are fighting vessels. [02:58] They're they're meant to fight, but [03:01] they're not meant to fight against us. [03:03] We continue to target Iran's drone and [03:05] missile capabilities. Their drones are [03:07] way down. Their uh drone manufacturing's [03:11] been hit starting today. We know all of [03:14] the places they manufacture the drones [03:16] and they're being hit one after another. [03:18] Their missile capability is down to [03:22] about 10% maybe less. We're also hitting [03:25] where they make missiles and where they [03:27] deliver missiles. [03:29] We've struck over 5,000 targets to date, [03:33] some of them very major targets. And [03:35] we've left some of the most important [03:36] targets for later in case we need to do [03:38] it. If we hit them, it's going to take [03:40] many years for them to be rebuilt, [03:44] uh, having to do with electricity [03:46] production and many other things. So, [03:49] we're not looking to do that if we don't [03:51] have to. But they're the kind of things [03:53] that are very easy to hit, but very [03:55] devastating if they are hit. Uh, we are [03:58] waiting to see what happens before we [04:00] hit them. We could take them all out in [04:02] one day, [04:04] but it's all resulting in a 90% decline [04:07] in uh various things, but in particular, [04:11] Iranian missile launchers and 83% drop [04:16] in drone launchers. As you know, the [04:18] drone launches are are pretty well shot, [04:22] but we're at over 90% decline in the [04:24] Iranian missile launchers, which is very [04:28] hard to reproduce and very hard to get. [04:31] And uh usually what we were able to do [04:33] through great u equipment, [04:37] a lot of smart people, as soon as they [04:40] sent a missile up from a launcher, we [04:42] were able to knock out that launcher [04:44] within a period of 5 minutes or less [04:47] accurately right on the noggin. So now [04:51] we have lowcost interceptors effectively [04:53] combating Iranian drones. And our B2 [04:56] bombers recently dropped dozens of 2,000 [04:59] pound bombs to destroy missile launchers [05:02] all over Iran and buried deep under [05:06] Iranian soil in many cases. The soil was [05:09] no match. And we're also annihilating [05:12] the manufacturing base that the regime [05:14] uses to build drones and missiles at a [05:17] rate that nobody thought was possible. [05:19] We're knocking them out. We know where [05:21] they all are. We're knocking them out [05:23] very quickly. [05:24] We're ahead of our initial timeline by a [05:27] lot. I would say that we probably would [05:29] not have thought after a month we'd be [05:31] here. In addition to the fact that we've [05:34] taken out the leadership [05:36] uh twice and maybe three times [05:40] and uh we as you know we want to be [05:43] involved. We don't want another [05:45] president that maybe wouldn't be willing [05:47] to do what I'm willing to do for the [05:48] good of the world, for the good of our [05:50] nation, to be stuck with this situation [05:52] in five years or 10 years from now. So, [05:55] we think they should put a president in [05:57] or the head of the country in that's [05:59] going to be able to do something [06:01] peacefully for a change. They've been [06:03] doing this for 47 years, killing people [06:05] for 47 years. Whether it's the barracks [06:08] or even the SS Cole where they were [06:11] involved very strongly. They always [06:13] denied it, but where they were very [06:16] strongly involved and all of the people [06:18] that died through the roadside bombs [06:20] died and are right now walking around [06:22] with no legs, no arms, [06:25] a face that's been so badly damaged. The [06:28] Iranian regime has been attacking [06:30] Americans and spreading. [snorts] [06:32] >> Okay. So that so that was the the [06:34] initial part of of the press conference, [06:37] right? He lays out in great u you know [06:40] in great uh detail all of the all of the [06:44] damage that's been done and how [06:47] basically that means that we're almost [06:49] done. They've got nothing left. They've [06:50] got almost no missile capability left, [06:52] no manufacturing capability left. Uh and [06:54] we've also and we've also taken out uh [06:57] you know we've taken out their [06:58] leadership and you know and we don't [07:01] want to be stuck with a situation where [07:03] you know where the where these guys are [07:05] still in charge and there's some other [07:07] president who's not going to do anything [07:08] about it. Okay. So that's initially. So [07:10] he does say that we're ahead of schedule [07:12] and we're almost done. Uh I think his [07:14] exact words that led people astray was [07:17] was he said it's it's you know it's [07:19] pretty much done right. you know, were, [07:21] you know, were and then he he laid out [07:23] what he meant again with how how their [07:26] capabilities are no longer really in [07:28] place. Okay. And then his ne and then he [07:32] he explained why the United States [07:35] decided to strike when it did. And this [07:39] was a big controversial issue about like [07:41] uh you know was it the Israelis and is [07:43] America being dragged in by Israel and [07:45] whose war is this? And so that's what he [07:48] was really getting at in this next clip [07:50] of why the timing of the strike. So [07:52] let's take a look at that one. [07:55] The situation was very quickly [07:57] approaching the point of no return and [08:00] the United States found it intolerable [08:03] in my opinion based on what Steve and [08:06] Jared and Pete and others were telling [08:09] me. Marco so involved that I thought [08:12] that they were going to attack us. I [08:13] thought they would if we didn't do this [08:15] at the time we did it I think they had [08:17] in mind to attack us and if you notice [08:19] they did something which was very [08:21] foolish very stupid I would say they [08:23] attacked their neighbors and their [08:25] neighbors were largely neutral [08:29] or at least weren't going to be involved [08:32] and they got attacked [08:34] and it had the reverse effect the [08:36] neighbors came onto our side and started [08:39] attacking them and actually quite [08:42] successfully [08:43] If you look at Saudi Arabia, you look at [08:46] UAE, Qatar and others, but they were [08:51] strong and they were smart. But they got [08:53] attacked. Nobody, when I first heard it, [08:55] I said, "No, somebody made a mistake." [08:58] There was no mistake. UAE had over a [09:01] thousand missiles shot at it. Knocked [09:03] them almost all down. [09:05] On the very first day I came down the [09:07] escalator in 2015, I said, quote, "I [09:11] will stop Iran from getting nuclear [09:13] weapons, and all I'm doing is keeping my [09:16] promise." Think of that. That was in [09:17] 2015. [09:19] I said it. It was a threat then and a [09:22] much bigger threat now, but no longer a [09:24] threat. Not for a long time anyway. We [09:27] want to keep it that way. As we continue [09:29] Operation Epic Fury, we're also focused [09:32] on keeping energy and oil flowing to the [09:36] world. And I will not allow a terrorist [09:38] regime to hold the world hostage and [09:41] attempt to stop the globe's oil supply. [09:43] And if Iran does anything to do that, [09:45] they'll get hit at a much much harder [09:48] level. I will take [09:50] >> Okay. Okay. So there you have uh saying [09:51] that you know he felt that there was a [09:53] preemptive strike coming based on all [09:55] the intelligence he was given and [09:57] therefore the time had come to act. And [10:00] there was this this is something that [10:01] was when it was originally said by Marco [10:03] Rubio last week. You probably remember [10:05] this. There was all this uproar that oh [10:07] it's that it's because the Israelis were [10:09] going to attack first and that was going [10:10] to draw attacks on America making it [10:12] seem like Israel dragged America into a [10:14] war. But he's being very clear about it [10:16] being a very short-term tactical [10:18] decision that he saw that with all the [10:21] American military buildup and the way [10:22] the negotiations were going and they [10:23] weren't really going anywhere that the [10:26] Iranians would try a preemptive strike [10:28] and therefore he chose to strike first. [10:31] Okay. Then in the next clip uh that I [10:34] want to show you, what Trump did was he [10:38] addressed concerns about Iran [10:40] threatening global oil ship um oil [10:44] shipments. [10:46] Okay, so let's take a look at that one [10:48] now. [10:55] But when the time comes, the US Navy and [10:57] its partners will escort tankers through [10:59] the straight if needed. I hope it's not [11:01] going to be needed, but if it's needed, [11:03] we'll escort them right through. And we [11:06] have the greatest mind sweeping ability. [11:08] We have the greatest ships and all of [11:10] the we know exactly where they're [11:12] placed. We'll get them out of there very [11:14] fast. But we hope we don't have any of [11:16] that. And again, if they do that, if [11:17] they play that game, we're going to hit [11:19] them at a level that that they have not [11:21] seen before. So, we're winning very [11:25] decisively. [11:26] We're way ahead of schedule. Uh it's our [11:30] military is the greatest in the world [11:32] with the greatest equipment and the [11:33] greatest people in the world. There's [11:35] nobody's ever seen anything like it. [11:37] Iran's a very powerful country. [11:40] >> Okay. So there's Trump, you know, also [11:43] pledging that he is that the United [11:46] States is going to protect global [11:47] shipping, right? and uh and that they're [11:50] not going to allow the disruption in the [11:52] in the oil prices because a big piece of [11:55] Iran's strategy here, remember we said [11:57] this since the beginning of the war, [11:59] Iran doesn't think it could beat the US [12:00] militarily, but it wants a spike in oil [12:03] prices. It wants chaos in the region. [12:05] That's why it was attacking its [12:06] neighbors. It wants escalation. It wants [12:08] all kinds of It wants this war to become [12:10] more and more unpopular and last longer [12:13] and longer so that Trump wants to end it [12:16] prematurely and they can remain in in [12:19] power even if in a weakened state and [12:21] then keep their heads down until the [12:23] Trump administration is over. That's [12:24] been their strategy all along. It's [12:26] still their tra str strategy today. All [12:28] of their behavior confirms that that is [12:30] their strategy. Okay. Then there was the [12:32] next clip. Trump was asked how soon the [12:36] war could be over. And this is where, [12:39] like I said, this this turned into a [12:41] whole controversy about what did Trump [12:43] mean when he said the war is ending. [12:45] Because at the beginning of his remarks, [12:46] he said, "We're pretty much done." So [12:48] now we're finally into the part of the [12:50] press conference where it's no longer a [12:52] prepared speech, but he's getting asked [12:54] questions. Have a look. [12:58] >> Thank you, Mr. President. On Iran, you [13:00] called it an excursion. You said it [13:01] would be over soon. Are you thinking [13:03] this week it will be over? Are you [13:05] talking about days? [13:06] >> I think soon. [13:06] >> Okay. And and with respect to [13:08] >> very soon look [13:10] everything they have is gone including [13:11] their leadership. [13:13] In fact there two levels of leadership [13:15] and even actually as it turns out more [13:17] than that but two levels of leadership [13:19] are gone. Most people have never even [13:21] heard about the leaders that they're [13:23] talking about. So uh it's obviously been [13:26] very very powerful very effective. [13:29] >> Okay. So his answer really was, "Hey, [13:32] look, you know, [13:34] we're going to basically there's going [13:36] to be regime change." That's really what [13:38] his answer turned out to be. Um, very [13:41] interesting, you know, because of course [13:43] he's not committing to any timeline, but [13:45] it doesn't sound like from what he just [13:47] said there that, you know, they said, [13:50] "Are you talking about days?" He said, [13:51] "I think so." But look, everything [13:54] everything they have is gone, including [13:55] their leadership. So what he's not [13:58] saying, I'm going to stop while they're [14:01] still in power and start negotiating. [14:03] What he's saying is [14:06] we're a lot closer to done than you [14:07] realize because there's no one left to [14:09] run things. We're in charge basically. [14:11] We're very close to a situation where [14:13] there's simply nobody left from the [14:16] regime and and we're just going to step [14:18] in. That's that's what I think that he's [14:20] implying here. Then we get to the uh the [14:23] next clip [14:24] where a reporter pressed him on whether [14:27] the war is already won or just beginning [14:30] because we've heard that from from [14:32] Secretary of War Hex. Oh, we're just [14:34] getting started. This is just the [14:35] beginning, right? That's the messaging [14:37] we've had out of the Pentagon and also [14:39] out of the Israelis. And Trump himself [14:41] said that in the previous days. So the [14:44] reporter is it's a good question. Which [14:47] is it? Has it just begun or is it just [14:50] about over? Here's Trump. [14:56] >> Thank you. Uh, Mr. President, you've [14:57] said the war is quote very complete. But [14:59] your defense secretary says this is just [15:01] the beginning. So, which is it? And how [15:03] long should Americans be? [15:04] >> Well, I think you could say both. [15:06] >> The beginning. It's the beginning of [15:08] building a new country, but they [15:10] certainly they have no navy. They have [15:12] no air force. They have no anti-aircraft [15:16] uh equipment. It's all been blown up. [15:18] They have no radar. They have no [15:20] telecommunications. [15:22] And they have no leadership. It's all [15:24] gone. So, you know, you could look at [15:27] that statement. We could we could call [15:29] it a tremendous success right now as we [15:32] leave here. I could call it or we could [15:34] go further. And we're going to go [15:36] further. But, uh, [15:38] >> did you hear that? And we're gonna go [15:41] further. We could end it now. We could [15:43] already call it a success. Look, you've [15:46] degraded them. They're not so much of a [15:48] threat anymore. You've slammed them down [15:50] hard. We could already what's happened [15:53] has already been successful, but we are [15:55] going to go further. So, everyone who [15:56] was saying that this press conference [15:58] meant that the war is over, he just said [16:00] we are going to go further. [16:03] The big risk on that war has been over [16:07] for three days. We wiped them out the [16:09] first in the first two days. When you [16:12] think about it, it's incredible. We [16:14] wiped out a big navy, very powerful [16:17] navy. You know, these were ships. These [16:19] were serious ships. These were ships [16:20] that you buy when you want to win [16:22] battles. They're all [16:24] They're all on the bottom floor. The [16:26] sailors are all running off the ships. [16:27] They refuse to get on the ships. Uh the [16:31] air force is gone. Everything's gone. [16:32] The missiles are down to a trickle. The [16:35] drones are down to probably 25% [16:39] and they'll be soon be down to nothing. [16:41] We'll have the where they manufactured [16:42] the drones are under fire as we speak. [16:46] They're being hit. So the rest is going [16:49] to be a determination as to [16:52] my attitude along with the people in the [16:54] Trump administration what we want to do. [16:56] Thank you. [16:57] >> Okay. Very clear there. Again, he's when [17:00] he says that the war is over, he's not [17:01] saying we're stopping prematurely. He's [17:03] saying he's basically saying it's just [17:05] about over because the the extent of the [17:07] damage has been so great. They've been [17:10] so degraded that there's there's almost [17:12] no fighting ability left on the other [17:15] side. That's what he meant by that quite [17:17] clearly. Okay. Uh next clip. Uh there [17:21] were there was a question about regime [17:23] change and who might lead Iran next. And [17:27] here's what Trump had to say. [17:28] >> Do you have to take him out? Does he [17:30] have a target on his back? [17:31] >> You mean the new supreme leader? You [17:33] mean the son? [17:34] >> How can there be an Iran? No, I don't [17:36] want to I don't want to say that, but [17:38] you know, I was disappointed because we [17:41] think it's going to lead to just more of [17:42] the same problem for the country. So, I [17:44] was disappointed to see their choice. [17:48] >> Thank you. Thank you, sir. You've you've [17:50] said you have someone in mind to be the [17:52] new Iranian leadership if not the [17:54] Ayatollah's son. What are you looking [17:56] for in that person? Are you looking at [17:57] someone internal given that you just [17:59] said that their leadership has been [18:00] done? [18:00] >> I like the idea of you know internal and [18:04] eternal come to think of it but I like [18:06] the idea of internal because it works [18:11] well. I mean I think we've proven that [18:12] so far in Venezuela we have a woman deli [18:17] who has been you know president of the [18:19] country very respected very she's doing [18:22] a great job and it's you know no [18:24] disruption. We had uh as you remember [18:27] Iraq where everybody got fired. The [18:30] military got fired, the police got [18:32] fired, the politicians got fired. There [18:35] was nobody. And you know what? They [18:37] turned into ISIS. [18:39] And we don't want that. We don't want [18:41] that. So, uh I would like to see people [18:44] that are inside go now. They talk about [18:47] the son of the sha. They talk about [18:49] other people, but you know, hasn't been [18:51] there in many, many years. Uh, we have a [18:55] formula that's been very good so far and [18:58] I think it'll continue to be good. The [19:00] relationship is extraordinary with [19:02] Venezuela. Smart country. We've taken [19:05] out a 100 million barrels of oil. It's [19:08] right now in Houston being uh being [19:12] taken care of and made so beautiful. And [19:15] you have to see this at work. They have [19:18] u it's it's brought to the refineries. [19:20] It's being refined in Houston which is [19:23] made exactly for that product and so far [19:27] but it's a hundred million barrels of [19:30] oil and now they have another 100 [19:31] million barrels coming and it's like a [19:35] partnership. We're getting along so well [19:36] with them. It's great for Venezuela and [19:39] it's great for the United States. [19:41] >> Okay, so there that's Trump praising the [19:44] Venezuela option, right? and saying [19:47] we've got a great he even says we have a [19:49] great uh you know we have a great system [19:51] here we have a great uh you know we have [19:55] a great way of doing this this regime [19:56] change thing and Deli's been wonderful [19:59] and she's very well respected and very [20:01] popular no she's not Deli Rodriguez is [20:03] Maduro's number two the same what he [20:06] what they did in Venezuela was they kept [20:08] the same criminals in charge and and [20:12] just removed the top guy and then the [20:13] Americans are in there holding a gun to [20:15] their heads and he wants to duplicate [20:16] that he's being very open. He wants to [20:18] duplicate that model in Iran, which [20:20] means he wants people from within the [20:21] regime to hold things together. That [20:24] will increase stability. The problem is [20:25] there's a big difference between the [20:27] Venezuelan regime and Iran. Iran is an [20:30] ideological Shiite Islamic regime. That [20:33] means that the people in the regime, the [20:34] IRGC, [20:36] are Shiite Muslims. And especially when [20:38] you get into the lower ranks, they're [20:40] even more ideological. Maybe some of the [20:42] top people are kind of cold, you know, [20:45] technocrats who were making a buck and [20:47] were pretending to be Islamic, but the [20:49] truth is they're actually quite [20:50] ideological, [20:52] the people in the regime. Whereas in [20:54] Venezuela, you're talking about South [20:55] American Marxists. They're not [20:58] religiously ideological. They're much [21:00] more like mobsters who are interested in [21:02] money and power. So, it's not [21:05] necessarily a model that can work in [21:08] Iran. Also, the Iranian regime [21:11] slaughtered tens of thousands of its own [21:12] people. Everyone in the regime is [21:14] implicated in that. They also have a [21:15] transnational network of drug [21:17] trafficking and human trafficking and [21:19] and proxies all over the world. [21:22] Venezuela had nothing like that. That [21:24] that also needs to be dismantled. Those [21:26] money flows need to be dismantled. So [21:29] what Trump is hoping for in Venezuela is [21:31] not necessarily [21:33] so transferable, so applicable [21:37] to, you know, to what is going on [21:41] um you know to what's going on uh there [21:43] in in Iran. Okay. Then uh the next [21:48] question was uh you know Trump was asked [21:51] about like what victory would look like. [21:53] Okay. So let's go to that clip now. [21:58] leader. [21:59] >> Um, you said earlier that we've already [22:01] won in many ways, but we haven't won [22:03] enough. What do you consider enough? [22:05] What's your baseline? [22:06] >> Where they're not going to be starting [22:08] the following day to develop a nuclear [22:12] weapon where they'll look at that man [22:14] and some other people from the [22:15] administration and say, "All right, [22:17] we're not going to do it." They were not [22:19] willing to say that. And when Steve [22:22] called up and he said that to me, I [22:24] said, "Well, here we go. Let's do it the [22:27] hard way. But the hard way, I think, is [22:29] probably the easy way when basically I [22:31] can see that they will no longer have [22:34] any capacity whatsoever for very a very [22:36] long period of time of developing [22:40] weaponry that can be used against the [22:43] United States, Israel, or any of our [22:46] allies. We have great allies in the [22:47] Middle East, great countries that are [22:49] allies, [22:51] and they were staying out of it until [22:52] they got hit. Someday they'll have to do [22:54] a story. Why did he do that? Why did [22:56] they do that? But they were going to hit [22:58] them. If I didn't hit them first, they [23:00] were going to hit our allies first. I [23:03] believe upon information and belief, but [23:07] I believe that he was going to uh he was [23:11] they were going to take over the Middle [23:12] East. They were looking to take over the [23:14] Middle East. [23:15] Now, had operation midnight hammer not [23:19] taken place, that was definite [23:23] because they would have had a nuclear [23:24] weapon within a matter of weeks. But [23:27] that took place. That was a setback. But [23:29] look at the number of missiles they were [23:31] able to buy and make over the last six [23:34] months. And those missiles were aimed at [23:37] various countries. And when you look at [23:40] a thousand over a thousand missiles shot [23:42] at like UAE, they were looking to take [23:45] over the Middle East. We got there [23:46] first. Lucky. I'll tell you what, the [23:48] Middle East and those countries, very [23:49] rich countries are very lucky that I was [23:51] president instead of somebody else. [23:54] >> Okay. So there, you know, what do you [23:58] see in that clip? That was Trump saying, [24:01] "Look, um, what does victory look like? [24:05] That they have no ability to rebuild. no [24:08] ability to threaten. Okay, so obviously [24:10] that means that we're not done yet. [24:12] They're still firing missiles. They're [24:13] still firing cluster missiles at Israel. [24:16] Um so again, I it makes no sense to me [24:20] that he meant that he's looking to end [24:21] the war imminently. [24:24] Um and now, okay, final clip. This one [24:26] is uh is is really interesting. It's the [24:30] way he ended the press conference. He [24:31] was asked about helping the Iranian [24:33] people and the cost of the war. Okay, [24:38] let's take a look at that. [24:41] >> Thank you, Mr. President. You promised [24:42] the Iranian people you would help them, [24:44] but it sounds like you're willing to end [24:45] this fight after your military [24:46] objectives have wrapped up. Is that [24:48] Isn't that a betrayal? [24:50] >> Will I help them? I'd like to if they [24:53] can behave, but they've been very [24:55] menacing. You know, they're great [24:56] people. They have an amazing [24:59] population. It's amazing, smart, [25:03] brilliant, energetic. They have a great [25:05] point. I'd love to help them, but they [25:07] have to be in a system that allows them [25:09] to be helped. And right now, they're in [25:11] a system that only allows failure. And I [25:15] don't want that. And I want a system [25:16] that's not going to be attacking us. We [25:18] want a system that can lead to many [25:21] years of peace. And if we can't have [25:23] that, we might as well get it over with [25:25] right now. Yeah. Please. [25:26] >> Thank you, Mr. President. As of today, [25:28] there have been eight US military [25:30] fatalities associated with the war in [25:32] Iran. How many American deaths are you [25:34] willing to have in this war? [25:37] >> Well, as I said before, uh when you have [25:40] conflicts like this, you always have [25:42] death. And I was at Dober yesterday. I [25:45] met the parents and they were [25:47] unbelievable people. They were [25:48] unbelievable people. But they all had [25:50] one thing in common. They said to me one [25:52] thing, every single one, "Finish the [25:55] job, sir. Please finish the job." [25:59] And I'll leave you at that. Thank you [26:02] very much. [26:04] >> There you go. I think that really says [26:07] it all in terms of making sure that we [26:09] understand what Trump was and was not [26:11] saying in this press conference. Right [26:14] there he is quoting the families who he [26:18] met of the fallen American soldiers when [26:20] he met them at Dober and he says they [26:22] all said finish the job, Mr. President. [26:26] Finish the job. And Trump said, I'm [26:28] leaving you with that. In other words, [26:30] this isn't looking for some premature [26:32] off-ramp before the before the regime is [26:34] totally decimated. That's not what it [26:37] is. He kind of wants to have his cake [26:38] and eat it too because he's hoping for a [26:42] Venezuela type situation. He's hoping [26:43] that the guys near the top really just [26:45] want to survive and remain in power a [26:47] little bit and they'll play ball with [26:48] him. Doesn't realize you have an IRGC. [26:51] It's hundreds of thousands of people. [26:53] They're they are ideologically Shiite [26:56] jihadist Muslims. They're not [26:58] necessarily just going to, you know, for [26:59] pragmatic reasons to stay in power and [27:01] keep making money, play ball with the [27:04] Americans. So the Venezuela, the [27:06] Venezuela model, I understand why he [27:08] wants it. [27:10] Forget about the moral issue of throwing [27:12] the Iranian people under the bus with [27:13] that model, but I understand why he [27:15] wants it. And he also he also said [27:17] there, they've got to get their act [27:19] together, the Iranian people. He is he's [27:21] giving them the opportunity to overthrow [27:22] the regime, but at the same time, he [27:25] wants stability. He doesn't want [27:26] everything to break apart and create an [27:28] Iraq-like situation. But bottom line, [27:31] bottom line, bottom line on this whole [27:32] thing with with everyone was saying [27:34] yesterday um that oh my gosh, Trump is [27:37] saying the war is basically over. No, [27:39] he's saying that the progress has been [27:40] rapid that the other side is is getting [27:43] to the end of the line in their ability [27:45] to fight back and we're looking for [27:48] people to work with so that we can have [27:49] a more stable transition to something [27:51] that is post the Islamic regime. That's [27:53] what he's saying. But what were his [27:56] finishing words? [27:59] The families of those American soldiers [28:02] who were killed said to him, "Finish the [28:04] job." And Trump ended the press [28:06] conference by reiterating that point. [28:08] Finish the job. All right. So, [snorts] [28:10] that's what I think is going on here. [28:12] Let's all take a deep breath. There's a [28:14] lot there's a lot left to this story and [28:16] we're going to keep bringing you updates [28:17] every single day. May God bless you.
