President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. is prepared to take "strong action" against Iran if the Iranian government hangs protesters tomorrow, as the nation's state media has reported, and insinuated new CBS Evening News Anchor Tony Dokoupil would be "very happy" with the U.S. response.
Anti-government protests have been going on in Iran for more than two weeks, according to reports. In response, the Iranian government instituted an internet blackout in the country and began attacking protesters with military troops. Human rights advocacy groups estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 protesters have been killed during the events
Dokoupil, the program's new MAGA-approved anchor, asked Trump about the protests in a one-on-one interview on Tuesday, and Trump offered a startling response.
"Well, now we're hearing that they're gonna start hanging protesters tomorrow, so it comes back to the question, have they crossed your red line, or has the line moved?" asked Dokoupil.
"I haven't heard about the hanging," Trump replied. "If they hang 'em, you're gonna see some things that -- I don't know what you're -- where you come from and what your thought process is, but you'll perhaps be very happy."
The answer caught Dokoupil off guard.
"What do you mean by that?" he pressed.
"We will take very strong action," he added. "If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action."
He also asked Trump about the endgame for such an operation.
"The endgame is to win. I like winning. And we're winning," he added.