Trump Issues Baffling Statement on ‘War’ and ‘Negotiation’ After Killing of Top Iran General

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President Donald Trump has issued a series of tweets since the United States killed one of Iran’s top military commanders in an airstrike near Baghdad’s international airport Thursday night. His most explicit reference to the strike came early Friday morning.

After tweeting out a small jpeg of an American flag on Thursday night, following by retweeting travel warnings from the State Department, Trump made the following vague statement Friday: “Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!”

Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020

The tweet was met with confusion.

Trump is just dropping vague, wrong, unhelpful comments into a tense and volatile situation. #facepalm https://t.co/KdUUsuIuv2

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 3, 2020

US President appears to want a war now https://t.co/qr6hXgZ0Zp

— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) January 3, 2020

Cool phrase. You sold yourself as the best negotiator in history and, yet, appear to be starting a war with Iran. https://t.co/PiCaSCoudN

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) January 3, 2020

First presidential comment on the strikes that took out Iran’s military mastermind … a cryptic signal that he wants to sit down and talk? https://t.co/xcgVG86cRn

— Blake News (@blakehounshell) January 3, 2020

And perfectly on brand, Trump’s first statement is a petty veiled swipe at his predecessor. https://t.co/zng1KfvH2v

— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) January 3, 2020

It’s more than a little terrifying to think about how a President who measures just about everything by how good or bad it is for him _personally_ views the stakes of escalating conflict with Shia militias in Iraq and with Iran.. https://t.co/ARwN8AEvRS

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) January 3, 2020

Your own Defense Department recently concluded, in a mammoth, years-long study coauthored by your current Special Envoy to Syria, that it won the Iraq war: https://t.co/Iry6uw87LC https://t.co/29r58CtYsx

— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) January 3, 2020

UPDATE: Trump has now issued a more comprehensive statement on the strike:

….of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself. While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020