CNN’s Jake Tapper Calls BS on Trump Rant Over War Reporting: ‘Quite Clearly Not the Case’

CNN anchor Jake Tapper called BS on President Donald Trump over his rant attacking the press and professing to feel no pressure to end the Iran war that shows no sign of imminent resolution.

As the Iran war hurtles toward its ninth week, the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded by the U.S. and choked off by Iran — and well-sourced reporters like Maggie Haberman are being told the president is looking for a way out.

Trump lashed out over those reports with a lengthy rant in which he made the grand claim that he is “possibly the least-pressured person ever.”

Tapper opened Thursday’s edition of CNN’s The Lead with a commentary that concluded with a blunt refutation of Trump’s cucumber-esque claim:

JAKE TAPPER: The developing story in our world lead tonight, President Trump claiming that the U.S. is in total control of the Strait of Hormuz despite the total maritime standoff that appears to be the reality in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have total control of the strait. And the fact that it slows, you know, they would have opened it up three days ago. They came to us and they said, we will agree to open the strait. And all my people were happy. Everybody was happy except me.

I said, wait a minute, if we open the strait, that means they’re going to make $500 million a day. I don’t want them to make $500 million a day until they settle this thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The president’s comments coming after a series of Truth Social posts about the war, including a directive to the Navy to shoot and kill any Iranian boat laying mines in the strait. President Trump also continuing to air out what the White House calls divisions among the top Iranian leadership, leading to a disruption in peace talks and, according to Trump, a disruption in the Iranian economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They’re not doing well economically, financially. They’re not doing any business because of the blockade. They want to make a deal. We have been speaking to them, but they don’t even know who’s leading the country. They’re in turmoil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: But as is said in wartime, the enemy gets a vote. To assert that the U.S. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz is not accurate because Iran, too, is exerting control in the strait with mines by charging tolls and by seizing and firing upon vessels. There are currently 19 U.S. naval ships in the Middle East, part of the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports that appears to be holding for now. CENTCOM says the blockade has turned around at least 33 vessels, mostly oil tankers.

And oil prices continue to rise globally, though analytics show Iranian oil continues to flow towards China. Iran’s top negotiator today touted the first revenue from tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a system that top U.S. and other international officials have rebuked. Iran’s president and parliament speaker today also issued identical statements in response to Trump and the White House’s claims about turmoil among their leadership, touting iron unity in the ranks or at least in the tweets. So the clock ticks off — ticks on for an off ramp for the war between the U.S. and Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don’t want to rush myself, you know, because every source, oh, Trump is under time pressure. I’m not. No, no. You know who’s under time pressure? They are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: However much the president’s trying to act as though Iran is the only one under pressure and the only one looking for an off ramp. That’s quite clearly not the case.

Watch above via CNN’s The Lead.

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