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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsForeign Policy: "Let's fucking kill him. Let's go in." - Donald Trump
After the US believed the Syrian government had launched another chemical attack in April 2017, Mr Trump told Defence Secretary James Mattis to assassinate President Bashar Assad.
"Let's kill the fucking lot of them," the president reportedly said.
Mr Mattis acknowledged Mr Trump's request then, after the conversation, told an aide he wouldn't do "any of that".
Woodward says administration officials were also concerned when the president asked for plans for a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea during the height of his feud with Kim Jong-un. The president also dressed down top generals over their handling of the war in Afghanistan, saying that soldiers "on the ground" could do a better job.
"How many more deaths?" he asked. "How many more lost limbs? How much longer are we going to be there?"
underpants
(182,850 posts)Just saying.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)I sure don't remember the guy speaking with European colloquialism's of this sort
I think Woodward gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed he'd said 'the fucking lot of them' when he really just said 'a fucking lot of them'.
JHB
(37,161 posts)...or his Scottish mom.
msongs
(67,430 posts)mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)I cannot for one second imagine those words coming from his mouth. Or if they were, someone was standing next to him, whispering in his ear what to say to the generals. Or he was reading something written by someone else.
He's not emotionally capable of expressing even that level of empathy for other human beings at this stage.
15+ years ago, maybe. Nowadays? Nope. He's too far gone.
I think Woodward is embellishing there to humanize Trump somewhat. WHY? I'm not 100% sure. But he was pretty soft on Bush at certain times as well.
Could also be that, for shits and giggles, he decided his only actual 'embellishments' to the book would be 'ones that made Trump sound nice/reasonable/human' ... which would be an epic troll move, if you think about it.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Cooler heads have prevailed, so far.
BigmanPigman
(51,615 posts)taking out the fake prez, like Putin. Then I read it correctly. Darn.
MFM008
(19,818 posts)Can't we....
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)and was pulled down off the wall by Mattis. Gave me chills. What else has happened in that WH that hasn't leaked?
On discussing exact wording, we should remember that all of this was related to the author by someone who was there or repeating what someone else said. Woodward is not known for massaging or reinterpreting his sources' words.
onenote
(42,724 posts)Not defending it, just pointing out the obvious.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Another obvious.
The fact that he's called for assassination at least once is alarming. It makes it far more likely he will again. Has he intended to use our nuclear weapons to "kill the lot of them" and been talked down from that? So far?
onenote
(42,724 posts)When Trump is safely dead and gone will you look back at his demand that Assad be assassinated and say "No biggie"? It is a biggie. A bad biggie. Just as it was and is a bad biggie that other US presidents have pushed to have the leaders of other nations assassinated. To repeat -- I'm not defending such actions; indeed, I'm condemning them. However, I can't say I'm surprised, given our history, that Trump would think it is within the acceptable range of behavior for a US president to demand the assassination of a foreign head of state.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Sorry, a basic personality thing. This is not a philosophical discussion about Evil America for me.
I do believe Trump being a live bomb of a president -- whose actions could ultimately take millions of us out -- is a huge difference between him and dead presidents who did not.
Please don't imagine we can go around killing world leaders these days and it'll provide opportunities to rant about Evil America at parties. Assad is a member of a crime family that rose to lead a nation and are allied with other nations, including Iran and Russia. But all nations who've been threatened by Trump would be extremely unhappy.
Cyber war is more dangerous than nuclear ever was because it can kill far more, because nations don't have to worry about fallout and other effects on their own nations, and because all nations and even sophisticated terrorist groups can engage. If Assad really objected, tomorrow could be the first day of the rest of your life measured in weeks.
mercuryblues
(14,537 posts)the sanest one in this mal-administration has the nickname of "Mad Dog"
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)And now this. How long before he's gone?
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)for other people to back up.
What a republican.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Remember... she's who called Hillary a "hawk" and who said Hillary's IWR vote "disqualified" her (even though previously Sarandon *eagerly* supported John Edwards who ALSO voted in favor of the IWR, just like Hillary... which clearly demonstrates what a hypocrite Sarandon really is.)