Dear Editor,
On November 29, 2011, Donald Trump tweeted: “In order to get (re)elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.” This statement was widely reported by organizations such as FactCheck.org and Business Insider, and Mr. Trump repeated similar claims several times during appearances on Fox News.
Under President Obama:
• The United States did not launch military action against Iran.
• There were no airstrikes, no invasion, and no declared conflict.
• Instead, his administration pursued diplomacy, culminating in the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA).
Given Mr. Trump’s past assertions that presidents may use war to influence election outcomes — and considering his party’s growing concern about maintaining control of the House and Senate this year — should Americans be worried that he might risk the lives of U.S. service members for political advantage?
Sincerely,
GF