Bolton: How Trump’s Iran decisions show ‘panic’

[0:00] The president told Fox Business today in an interview that he believes the war is close [0:04] to being over. [0:05] Does it seem like it is close to being over in your view? [0:08] Well, not in a way that's satisfactory to the United States. [0:12] I do think Trump has wanted out of this for quite some time. [0:15] It's palpable in the way he discusses it. [0:18] He just can't figure out how to do it in a way that he can declare victory with a straight [0:23] face. [0:24] I don't think in the near term you can declare victory until we have militarily cleared the [0:30] Strait of Hormuz such that Gulf Arab oil can get out. [0:34] I think it's the right thing to do to blockade ships going to and from Iran. [0:40] But I think what's critical to demonstrate that Iran is not the hegemon in the Gulf is [0:46] that we have to make it safe for the other oil producers to get their oil out, which will [0:51] have a material impact, I think, on the global economy. [0:54] And while shutting Iran's exports down, certainly have a material effect on their economy, too. [0:59] Well, I mean, you are arguing you think the ceasefire is a mistake that Iran could regroup [1:05] during this. [1:06] There are new satellite images today. [1:09] They were reviewed by CNN that appear to show Iran digging at the entrance of missile bases [1:14] where the launchers, their missile launchers are trapped because of the strikes from the [1:18] United States and Israel. [1:20] Do you think this is something that they could potentially access during this ceasefire period? [1:24] Or what's your sense of these images? [1:26] Well, I think that's what they're certainly trying to do. [1:29] I mean, we've got intelligence reports that indicate that the administration's claims [1:33] of success, particularly against missile launchers, may have been overly optimistic. [1:38] The silver lining here is let them dig them out. [1:40] Let them bring them out. [1:41] I assume we're going to be watching all these very carefully. [1:44] As they bring them out, we destroy them. [1:45] Then we can close the tunnels again. [1:48] This is a question that requires resolve on the part of the president. [1:52] Now, whether he thought about that in advance or not is highly unclear, but it's a mistake [1:59] at this point to look for an easy way out. [2:01] I think the government of Iran has been badly damaged. [2:04] I don't buy the argument that the regime is still intact, still functioning. [2:09] I think it's clearly been set back. [2:11] President Pesekian was quoted in the press today saying it would take 12 years to get Iran's [2:18] economy back to the point where it was on February the 28th. [2:22] And where it was on February the 28th was in the cellar. [2:25] So we've had enormous impact. [2:27] And this is not the time to pull back. [2:29] Can I ask you just, as someone who worked closely with President Trump when he was in [2:34] the Oval the last time, you were in the Situation Room with him. [2:37] I mean, as we've been watching, he's lashing out at the Pope after he said, you know, and was [2:43] critical of the war in Iran and said that there should be peace in Iran. [2:48] He lashed out last week saying a whole civilization will die tonight in Iran before calling off [2:54] his threat and implementing the ceasefire. [2:57] Last night we had Marjorie Taylor Greene on, and she was saying that she worries about the [3:00] president's mental stability because of things like that. [3:04] You know, as someone who worked with him, what is your view on that? [3:08] Well, I'm not a shrink, so I don't know what purpose it serves by saying he's a narcissistic [3:16] sociopath. [3:17] I mean, that's not the issue. [3:19] The issue is he doesn't know what he's doing. [3:22] And I think a lot of the behavior shows the panic that he's in, that he can't see a way [3:29] out of this. [3:30] For whatever reason, he thought it would be easier than it was. [3:33] I can't believe he wasn't told that by the Pentagon and others, told that they would try [3:37] and close the Strait of Hormuz, told that they would go after the Gulf Arab countries. [3:42] He apparently either didn't listen or didn't believe it. [3:44] And now he doesn't know what to do. [3:46] So I think a lot of this is panic more than anything else. [3:49] Well, I mean, I think people might hear that and say, you know, you say he doesn't know [3:54] what he's doing. [3:55] I mean, he is the sole decision maker pretty much when it comes to what happens next in [3:59] this war in terms of the United States' moves here. [4:03] I mean, everyone is kind of waiting and listening to him, whether it's, can they have 20 years [4:07] of enrichment, can they, before they can enrich, can they do this? [4:10] Can they do that? [4:11] I mean, for you to say that he doesn't know what he's doing, I think is probably pretty [4:14] alarming to some people. [4:15] Well, I don't see that as much different from the first term. [4:20] He does not think in strategic terms, contrary to what his supporters say. [4:24] He does not play three-dimensional chess. [4:26] He sees international affairs through the prism of his personal relationships. [4:31] So when he thinks the Pope is attacking him, his immediate reaction is attack the Pope. [4:37] None of this is part of a bigger picture. [4:39] These communications are not part of an overall communication strategy. [4:43] And in fact, what he did at the beginning of the administration was eliminate a good part [4:48] of our ability to communicate our point of view into Iran, which would be very helpful [4:52] to be doing right now. [4:53] Can I just ask, what would you have said to the president if he was attacking the Pope [4:58] over what he said about Iran, if you were the national security advisor still? [5:03] Stop. [5:06] On that note, Ambassador John Bolton, thank you for joining us. [5:08] Very close to over. [5:10] That is how President Trump is describing the war with Iran in a new interview this morning. [5:14] Of course, it's also how he described it four weeks ago. [5:17] This is the new assertion. [5:20] Is this war over? [5:22] I think it's close to over, yeah. [5:24] I mean, I view it as very close to over. [5:26] You know what? [5:28] If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. [5:34] And we're not finished. [5:35] But we'll see what happens. [5:37] I think they want to make a deal very badly. [5:40] So that was the new statement. [5:42] This is how he has been saying it repeatedly, starting more than a month ago. [5:47] Were you thinking this week it will be over? [5:49] No, but soon. [5:50] Are you talking about days? [5:51] I think so. [5:52] Very soon. [5:53] Look, everything they have is gone, including their leadership. [5:57] We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. [6:01] You know, you never like to say too early you won. [6:03] We won. [6:04] We won the bet. [6:05] In the first hour it was over. [6:06] Well, I think we're going to end it, I can't tell you for sure. [6:12] You know, I don't like to say this. [6:13] We've won this. [6:14] This war has been won. [6:17] So if there is something different this time, it could be hope over a new round of talks [6:22] with Iran, possible new round of talks. [6:25] If it does come together, Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to lead the U.S. team again. [6:29] Also new this morning, new satellite images appear to show Iran digging for missiles trapped [6:35] underground and missile launchers after the U.S. and Israeli strikes. [6:39] Let's get right to CNN's Elena Treen at the White House this morning for the latest on [6:43] what you are hearing. [6:44] Good morning, Elena. [6:46] Good morning, John. [6:47] Yeah, look, I mean, we did hear the president give a number of comments during that interview [6:51] with Fox News. [6:52] Much of it not really new, including this idea that the war is very close to over. [6:58] Certainly, though, the hope that this White House has, and I will say from the conversations [7:03] I've been having with Trump officials, is that they do hope they can get a second round [7:07] of talks off the ground, and they hope that that could happen before this two-week ceasefire [7:12] expires next week on April 21st. [7:15] Of course, that's a big ask, and I've told that all of the discussions over this potential [7:20] second sit-down face-to-face with Iranian officials is still preliminary, but that is what they [7:25] are working toward and hoping that could, if not, result in a final agreement, at least [7:32] offer enough progress to extend the ceasefire and try to really find this diplomatic solution [7:37] that many, many Trump officials really want at this point in time. [7:40] But, look, some of the things that the president did say in this interview with Maria Bartiromo, [7:45] one was he talked about this blockade. [7:47] He was arguing that it's been successful, of course, the naval blockade on the Strait [7:51] of Hormuz, and said that he does believe that it's forcing the Iranians back to the table, [7:55] kind of the intended effect that the Trump administration had when imposing that military [8:00] blockade. [8:01] But he also talked about the economy. [8:03] And the thing that I found really interesting is we did hear him earlier this week, you know, [8:07] arguing that, yeah, gas prices are bad and the economy might be bad for some time. [8:11] He did try to walk some of that back, though, in this interview. [8:14] I want you to listen to what he said. [8:17] Well, look, there's a hit because, you know, we go through it for whatever it is, six weeks. [8:23] There's going to be a hit, but it's going to recover, I think, fully. [8:27] Somehow they misquoted me. [8:28] I think oil will be down to the levels it was. [8:32] You know, they said I expect oil to be high at the midterms. [8:36] I don't expect that. [8:40] So there you have it, him trying to argue that he thinks oil prices and the economy [8:43] will be in better shape by the time the midterms come. [8:47] Notably, the comments that he made come, you know, they were published at least today, [8:52] a day after he met with the House Speaker Mike Johnson and people at the NRCC here at the White House. [8:58] Obviously, midterms have a lot of Republicans, especially, kind of on edge with what we are seeing happening in the economy [9:04] and with high oil prices. [9:05] But the president trying to reassure a lot of Americans today with those remarks, John. [9:10] All right, Elena Treen for us at the White House. [9:12] The president really walking back statements that, by all accounts, he absolutely did make, [9:16] now saying something diametrically opposed on the economy. [9:19] Thank you.