Jan 3, 2020 - World
Trump in 2011: Obama will use war with Iran to get re-elected
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Then-citizen Donald Trump predicted in November 2011 video that then-President Barack Obama would start a war with Iran in order to get re-elected in 2012.
"Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He’s weak and he’s ineffective. So the only way he figures that he’s going to get re-elected, and as sure as you're sitting there, is to start a war with Iran."
The big picture: The idea of Obama potentially attacking Iran as a political tool was a prime topic for Trump around that time, as illustrated by his tweets:
- Oct. 9, 2012: "Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin – watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate."
- Sept. 16, 2013: "I predict that President Obama will at some point attack Iran in order to save face!"
- Sept. 25, 2013: "Remember what I previously said — Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is."
The state of play: The video has resurfaced after President Trump — during his re-election year — ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, one of the regime's most powerful figures, in a move that is widely expected to significantly escalate tensions in the Middle East.
- Despite his taunts toward Obama, Trump said Soilemani "should have been taken out many years ago" in a tweet on Friday.
Go deeper: Pompeo says Soleimani strike disrupted "imminent" attack
