President Donald Trump again claimed victory in Iran during a Friday speech in Florida and noted the U.S. would not leave the country “early,” making the comment in a riff-heavy appearance that came hours after he told Congress the war in Iran was “terminated.”
US President Donald Trump gives a speech about taxes and Social Security in The Villages, Florida.
Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Trump, who justified the war by suggesting Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon, said, “We’re not going to leave early and have the problem arise in three more years,” noting Iran was “not coming through with the kind of [peace] deal we have to have.”
The president on Friday sent a letter to Congress saying the war against Iran was “terminated” while the White House insisted Trump did not need congressional approval to continue having a military presence in Iran.
The letter was issued just ahead of a 60-day deadline that requires congress to approve further military operations.
Trump repeated previous claims in his Friday speech that virtually all of Iran’s military assets have been eliminated in the months-long war, which has been subject to a fragile ceasefire for the last three weeks as the U.S. and Iran have failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
The president, who was speaking at The Villages, a large retirement community in Florida, swung between multiple subjects during his speech. The president appeared to joke about the age of attendees near the start of the appearance, saying, “I'm much, much younger than the people in this room, but I feel I can relate to you anyway.” Trump said, “It’s the most boring trip I’ve ever made,” and said he spoke to Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about Medicaid. “I said ‘you work out the details’ but I did say ‘give them the max,’ that’s all I care about,” Trump added. The president also spoke about a set of cognitive tests he claims to have aced three times, going on a long-winded tangent about one of the questions he supposedly answered.
Trump has claimed victory in Iran for weeks even as the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route neighboring the country, has maintained its blockade on the strait. The ceasefire reached on April 7 has held, though countries on both sides have made accusations of violations, with Iran specifically pointing to a U.S. naval blockade of ports and Israeli strikes against Lebanon. Trump said Friday he did not intend to seek congressional approval for the war as it reached the two-month mark, suggesting the War Powers Act was “totally unconstitutional.” The resolution restricts military operations to 60 days unless Congress declares war. Some Republicans pushed back against the Trump administration’s claims the ceasefire paused the 60-day limit, with Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. telling The Wall Street Journal, “It stopped from the ceasefire? Which ceasefire? Does the ceasefire still count if they don’t cease firing?”
Trump Tells Congress Iran War Is ‘Terminated,’ Arguing He Doesn’t Need Approval To Continue (Forbes)
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