A national security expert tore into President Donald Trump's latest responses to questions about the Iran war and an embattled ceasefire.
In a Wednesday piece for The Atlantic, national security scholar Tom Nichols reacted to Trump's comments in the wake of renewed hostilities with Iran. Trump was asked on Wednesday morning whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran was dead.
"That's a very interesting question," Trump responded, according to Nichols. "To me, I think it's over. I don't wanna deal with them anymore. They're scum, you know what scum is? They're scum." However, Trump also said on Wednesday that he plans to "give them a little warning" about attacks and "we'll see how it all works out."
Trump is "unable to give sensible answers to questions about the renewed hostilities," Nichols noted, arguing that Trump doesn't know what to do and is waiting to see how Iran will respond to more strikes.
"This is not the approach of a president who's running a war," Nichols wrote. "This is the flailing of a man who's in over his head and is reacting to events, rather than guiding them."
Nichols also pointed out how Trump's recent comments contrasted with the praise he gave Iranian leaders last month, when he called them "very rational people," "strong people, smart people," and "nice to deal with." He also pointed out Trump's recent gaffes, like confusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin and saying "Tic Tac" when he meant "TikTok."
Trump has also floated two "terrible ideas," Nichols added, referring to a possible invasion of Iranian territory and a "campaign of probable war crimes."