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Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Iran, World News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Iran, World News
Without supplying names, Donald Trump this week claimed that one of his presidential predecessors had commended his ongoing assault on Iran.
"He said, 'I wish I did it," the Republican alleged during a press conference on Monday (16 Mar).
Awkwardly, however, every former President still alive to this day has denied ever having such a conversation with Trump.
His comments were made at least three times whilst chatting with various members of the media, seemingly in an attempt to justify the missile launch he made against Iran last month, which triggered a colossal, cross-country conflict that has since cost the lives of thousands across the Middle East.
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Firing the first missile in February, Trump claimed the attack served as the official US-Israeli response to the Islamic Republic's increasingly totalitarian leadership and its oppression of Iranian citizens.
He and Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, also admitted the attack was purposed to ensure that Iran 'does not obtain a nuclear weapon'.
Trump has since argued tirelessly that the assault was necessary, insisting that other American leaders had agreed he was right to push his big red button.
"I’ve spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually," the right-wing leader alleged. "A past president, a former president. He said, 'I wish I did it.'
"But they didn't do it. I'm doing it."
He continued: "For 47 years, no president was willing to do what I’m doing."
Asked to name who'd approved the attack, however, Trump claimed: "I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career."
He also told other reporters: "I don't want to say. I don't want to say... I don't want to get him into trouble. It’s somebody that happens to like me... that person is a smart person.
"But that person said, 'I wish I did it,' okay? But I don’t want to get into who. I don’t want to get him into trouble."
Despite this, representatives of all four living former leaders have outright denied endorsing Trump's military mission, which Iran responded to by firing weapons of their own across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Cyprus.
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the US, told The Independent he hadn't conversed with Trump on the matter of Iran.
A representative of Clinton's successor, George W. Bush, also denied the father-of-five's claim.
Such was also the case for the 44th and 46th Presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, whose agents also told CNN and other press they'd never backed Trump's hotly debated attack on Iran.
Tyla contacted the White House for further comment.