President Donald Trump's administration will carry on with its actions overseas despite claims from a Democratic Party representative that it is a crime to do so.
Speaking to The New Republic's Greg Sargent, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) believes the president is using his art of the deal rules to manipulate geopolitical relationships. It is not going well, according to the Dem rep, who said Trump will back himself again and again, even if it is clearly not working in the president's favor.
He said, "Think about the way he ran his businesses—he sued people all over the place, he declared bankruptcy, he didn’t pay his bills. He’s now trying to prosecute enemies large and small across the government.
"He cut off like $500 billion in programs. He goes for the punch in the face, right off the bat. I mean, that’s his move.
"The problem is, Iran has said, yeah, we took the kick—we’re not going anywhere. And then Trump doesn’t really have a play at that point. So he gets frustrated, and he’s like, No, you will bow to my will. And he tends to double and triple down.
"And again, in this case, we’re not talking about pulling Nicolás Maduro out of some weak, collapsing Venezuelan government. We’re not talking about the horrific crime that we are committing against Cuba right now—just choking off their oil and waiting for them to die."
Smith specified that Trump's decision to continue striking Iran is a misstep from the president, who will find himself struggling to face reality if the war continues.
"We’re talking about going into a country that’s dug in, of 93 million people with over a million troops and a passion to fight us," Smith said. "Remember how the Iranians fought in the Iraq War, and they were nowhere near as solidified or capable of defending their regime then as they are now. So Trump’s fantasies are confronting reality, and we all are paying a terrible price for that."
