Jonathan Lemire: Trump’s ‘Genocidal’ Iran Rhetoric Like That Seen From ‘Monsters of History’

Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire lambasted President Donald Trump’s new threat against Iran – that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened – as “genocidal” as he reacted in real-time to the president’s social media post while warning that his rhetoric was like that seen from the “monsters of history.”

The reaction came moments after Trump issued a stark and ominous warning hours before his self-imposed 8 p.m. ET deadline, after which he has threatened to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure if no deal is reached.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

He continued: “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Lemire was hosting Morning Joe as news of the remarks broke, reading the post aloud and noting the post came just 11 hours ahead of Trump’s deadline:

Let’s just repeat for a moment the president of United States and his post this morning, that is threatening a war crime that is threatening something genocidal if he follows through with this and perhaps it’s just a bluff, perhaps it’s a negotiating tactic, perhaps it’s an 11th hour push to get the Iranians to the bargaining table. But even just issuing that threat from the Oval Office is a remarkable escalation, and something we have never before seen from any president of the United States.

After introducing his guests for the segment, Lemire rounded again on the comments:

We know he is, you know, fond of over-the-top language. He is fond of fire and fury threats and the like. But this, to me is something entirely new. And even if it is, does prove to just be a bluff of some sort or a bargaining tactic. This is still a new place for a president of the United States.

This is the rhetoric we associate with people like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, with people like [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong-Un, with the monsters of history. And yet we have heard it now from the sitting president.

Watch above via MS NOW.

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