President Donald Trump published his first post on Truth Social Sunday since the killing of at least two U.S. service members in Jordan, but rather than addressing the fallen soldiers, he issued a call for GOP lawmakers to amend a sanctions bill.
“Republicans should add Iran to the Russian Sanctions Bill,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “That’s what Lindsey [Graham] wanted to do, and it was going to happen. IMPORTANT!!!”
Trump’s statement comes amid a flare-up of violence in the Middle East, with the United States and Iran exchanging fire over the past week.
On Friday, at least two U.S. service members were killed at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan from Iranian strikes, which were launched in response to U.S. strikes targeting Iran’s southern coast. U.S. Central Command announced the deaths of the two U.S. service members on Saturday, also announcing that a third U.S. service member was missing.
Notably, Trump had issued no formal public statement on the deaths, though he did respond to questions Saturday from NewsNation's Hannah Brandt, who reached him by phone, and called the soldiers' deaths "a very sad thing."
The Atlantic columnist Tom Nichols expressed outrage at this wording — and demanded a detailed explanation from Trump.
"Two more deaths are not, as Trump calls them, merely a 'very sad thing,'" Nichols wrote.
"Before one more member of the U.S. military is killed, he should return to the airwaves—and stand before Congress—to explain what he’s doing in Iran and how many more lives he’s willing to risk."