‘Ok, wow!’: Trump’s profane Iran threat stuns CNN panel

[0:00] He has just threatened Iran in extraordinary graphic terms, giving the Iranian regime just [0:05] over a day to either make a deal, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or face hell. [0:09] If your children are watching, be warned, the president did not use polite language. [0:15] Quote, Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day, all wrapped up in one in Iran. [0:21] There will be nothing like it. [0:23] Open the fucking strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. [0:28] Just watch. [0:29] We should note that destroying civilian power infrastructure is generally considered to [0:34] constitute a war crime under international law, though the president could argue that [0:38] the infrastructure has dual use and also is utilized by Iran's military. [0:42] To break this all down, we have an excellent panel of reporters. [0:45] Margaret Taleb with Axios, Zolan Kana-Youngs with the New York Times, and Mariana Sotomayor [0:50] with the Washington Post. [0:51] Good morning to you all. [0:53] Okay, wow. [0:54] That was, this just happened. [0:57] Trump is making. [0:59] He's been making these threats repeatedly. [1:02] He has not been carrying through with some of these threats, but he's been talking about [1:06] going after the civilian infrastructure, electric, people that, the people that they presumably [1:10] want to help here, the civilians in Iran, who would be hurt by going after power plants, [1:17] the water supply, and the rest. [1:20] What do you make of this threat? [1:21] The president is either emboldened by the U.S. ability to rescue. [1:30] This American or very angry at the fact that this American has been apparently seriously injured or just very angry that gas prices are really high and the American public's roundly against the war, but maybe all of the above. [1:48] Yeah, we have seen this sort of toggle between saying this is going to be wrapped up in a couple of weeks and escalating threats. [1:56] And this is, I mean, certainly the most over the top language we've seen so far. [2:01] It also comes on Easter. [2:02] There are a lot of things to unpack right here. [2:05] But this is a, this is a social media communication by sitting U.S. president is laden with the F-bomb and invokes hell and all kinds of stuff. [2:14] I mean, he's been, yesterday he had said that, this came after yesterday, where he said that, remember when I gave Iran 10 days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait? [2:22] Time is running out. [2:23] 48 hours before all hell will rain down. [2:25] And then today he went even further. [2:28] You'll be living in hell, he said. [2:30] So this is my question, because he has been all over the place about the Strait of Hormuz. [2:35] Just before you jump in here, even Wednesday night, this is what Trump said about whether the Strait of Hormuz was really in the U.S. interest, opening that back up and whether that was a chief demand of his. [2:48] The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won't be taking any in the future. [2:56] We don't need it. [2:57] We haven't needed it and we don't need it. [2:59] The countries of the world that do. [3:02] Receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. [3:06] Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. [3:12] I mean, so what is it, Zolan? [3:14] I mean, is that the objective now? [3:16] Because he's been saying we don't need it. [3:19] He said it in a primetime address. [3:20] We don't need it. [3:21] We haven't needed it and we don't need it. [3:22] And now he's saying open it or there will be a living hell. [3:24] The president has been delivering, issuing conflicting messages throughout this more than a month long war at this point. [3:31] Sometimes in the same sense. [3:33] Right. [3:33] And right. [3:34] Just this week, you have had him, you know, earlier in the week, the message was this essentially isn't the United States' problem. [3:41] It's not the U.S.'s responsibility to solve. [3:44] Other nations that rely on oil from the Gulf more should be addressing this. [3:50] And then you also have him post on social media even before these statements. [3:55] Actually, no ceasefire deal until the Strait is opened. [3:57] Right. [3:58] And you have both of those messages going out. [4:00] Right. [4:01] And now also you have this. [4:02] This escalating language, which, again, is unusual even for Trump's standards. [4:07] Right. [4:07] This recent post. [4:08] So you're absolutely right. [4:09] We've had these conflicting messages of, on one hand, the president trying to frame this war as an overwhelming success that could end and saying we don't even need the Strait. [4:18] On the other end, knowing that, you know, the price of oil is priced on global supply and demand. [4:24] What's happening with the Strait is going to impact economic anxieties in the United States and reacting to that. [4:31] This latest Truth Social post from the president. [4:33] Let's start with that. [4:33] He calls on Iran to open the fucking Strait, you crazy bastards. [4:36] I'm quoting apologies. [4:39] He also said glory be to God in a previous one. [4:44] What are you thinking when you saw this this recent post? [4:47] My thought is I can I can this is an escalate to try to get a deal that's not going to get a deal. [4:53] I mean, with diplomacy with Iran, a lot of it is secret back channel because they publicly posture. [4:59] We publicly posture makes it very hard to actually, I think, achieve what he's trying to achieve there. [5:04] And so I think it's very much share the goal. [5:06] I think for this to conclude with Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz, Jake, I think would be a very bad outcome. [5:11] And the question here is how do you now achieve that objective? [5:15] And it's also striking the president in his national address the other night suggested the Strait of Hormuz was not an objective for us. [5:21] I think now at least colorfully seems to be suggesting it is against just kind of shifting objectives in terms of what exactly we're trying to achieve here. [5:29] So just to read the whole thing, open the fucking Strait, you crazy bastards. [5:32] Or you'll be living in hell just watching. [5:33] And then he says praise be to Allah, President Donald J. Trump. [5:37] What does invoking Allah achieve, if anything? [5:41] Yesterday he said glory to God. [5:43] Now he's saying the same thing in Arabic. [5:45] I would leave that out of it. [5:47] I don't really understand what that's trying to achieve. [5:49] I think, look, we're in a war, Jake. [5:52] I think what happened last night is extraordinary. [5:54] One thing I very much agree that the president said this should be something to be celebrated by all Americans. [5:59] Fully agree with that. [6:00] Extraordinary, extraordinary development. [6:01] The question, though, now is where do we come from? [6:04] Where do we go from here? [6:06] And you can retrospectively say we should have done the operation differently. [6:10] We are where we are. [6:11] We're in a very difficult predicament. [6:13] And I think the next two weeks what I expect is escalation against Iran in the hope that they meet our demands. [6:19] That's on enrichment. [6:20] It's on missiles, terrorism, and now the Strait of Hormuz. [6:24] If they don't and if there's not a deal, we have a real inflection point. [6:28] Because then do we just say this operation is over and Iran actually comes out controlling that artery? [6:33] Or do we militarily try to actually seize and control the Strait, which is a major operation? [6:39] I think that's kind of where this is heading. [6:41] So as we look ahead to this month, this war potentially could escalate. [6:46] My panel is here to discuss. [6:48] Let me start with you, former Congresswoman Wilde of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, the president threatening to blow up Iran's power plants and bridges. [6:56] Open the fucking Strait, you crazy bastards. [6:59] You'll be living in hell. [7:00] Just watch. [7:01] Praise be to Allah, President Donald J. Trump. [7:02] What's your response? [7:03] And happy Sunday morning. [7:05] Happy Easter. [7:08] Clearly we're escalating. [7:10] And first let me just say I'm incredibly relieved that the two airmen have been successfully rescued. [7:17] Amen. [7:18] And props to our special ops teams. [7:20] They're amazing. [7:21] But the war is going in the wrong direction. [7:24] And I'm deeply concerned about it, about the American people, about the Iranian civilians and children. [7:32] And the lack of what I see is complete lack of leadership and strategy. [7:39] So you heard Brett McGurk earlier saying that he sees this as President Trump trying to escalate the language so as to get a deal, but he doesn't know that it will work necessarily. [7:49] What's your take? [7:50] I think that could be the case. [7:51] Do I agree with the language or the deadline setting? [7:54] Not necessarily. [7:56] But if we're going to do this, let's do this. [7:58] Let's not be here for a long time. [8:00] Let's not prolong this. [8:01] We see polling is not in the favor of a prolonged conflict. [8:04] We're seeing, to your point, shooting down our airmen. [8:08] This is not a place we want to be. [8:10] If we're going to do this, do this. [8:11] You offered the same threat to Venezuela. [8:13] That was a successful incursion. [8:15] Let's make the threat. [8:16] Let's get out as soon as possible. [8:20] What is this, though? [8:21] This is what I've been trying to figure out. [8:23] I've been a diplomat. [8:24] I've been in a variety of situations where the words really matter for what you're trying to use your military objectives for. [8:30] And the words have been so all over the place. [8:32] And today, seeing this on Easter Sunday with the pope, of all people, saying that this, you know, you should be using your words for peace, not for war. [8:41] But I come back to, you know, Lindsey Graham and his talk about holy war. [8:45] I come back to the fact that the secretary of war has been referencing Jesus and how this is all meant to be. [8:51] And now, OK, we have a U.S. president praising Allah. [8:54] Not where I expected this would come from. [8:57] But I absolutely have personal concern in the fact that an American president [9:01] is now talking using crusader like language against a population, not that's Iran. [9:07] That's also allies that hits millions of people around the world, including people here in the United States. [9:13] So I see this as a flailing message, a flailing sense of targeting and purpose and a president who just wants out [9:22] and has now struck a nerve on something that sounds really tough, but has a historical significance [9:29] and a much bigger danger. [9:30] A can of worms that's being opened. [9:33] A few things this morning. [9:34] First of all, happy Easter. [9:35] Happy Easter to you, Stan. [9:37] I told you to wear Easter clothes. [9:39] And I followed directions. [9:41] OK. [9:42] Second, this story of us rescuing this airman is nothing short of incredible. [9:47] And what the United States military is able to pull off, I mean, it's just amazing. [9:53] We're the only ones. [9:54] I mean, to be to say that we're thankful for this military operation this morning. [9:59] It doesn't even capture how incredible it is. [10:02] Number three, I think there are two things going on with the language. [10:05] Number one, there's public posturing from both regimes or our government and their regime. [10:10] And number two, there is private conversation going on. [10:15] There was some reporting just a few minutes ago from Trey Yinks at Fox News, [10:20] who apparently spoke to Trump just a few minutes ago. [10:22] And he said he thought tomorrow might be a big day for the possibility of a deal. [10:27] So I you know what the public language is. [10:29] What the public language is and what the private conversations are going on. [10:32] I you know, I think maybe we're not quite in a position to know that this morning. [10:36] I mean, the hope would be that a deal can be reached here and that we do meet our objectives, [10:40] which are clear. You know, we're not going to have Iran be the largest state sponsor of terrorism anymore. [10:44] They're not going to have ballistic missile program that can threaten us and our allies. [10:47] They're not going to have nuclear missiles. [10:49] They're not going to have an aggressive Navy that threatens ships in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Gulf. [10:54] So that I mean, if that's what comes out of this, that would be great. [10:57] Now, where we are in that process, I think remains to be seen. [10:59] It remains somewhat opaque to me, at least this morning. [11:02] Congresswoman, I wonder, do you think this message from the president this morning conveys strength? [11:08] Or do you think it conveys a desperation for a deal because he wants to get out of this war? [11:15] I don't see it as strength. That's for sure. [11:17] I see it as, you know, I hearken back to my grandmother who said that people who use their words properly have more impact. [11:27] And this is why you shouldn't use bad words and that kind of thing. [11:31] Well, when you when you resort to that kind of language, what it tells me is you don't really have anything to say. [11:36] It's just a lot of belligerence. [11:38] And what I want to hear is they don't have to they don't have to loop us in on their military strategy. [11:46] But I sure would like to see something that looks like there is a strategy for bringing this war to an end. [11:53] And I'm not seeing that at all. [11:55] I mean, everything that is the president is doing is designed to provoke and escalate. [12:01] Bill, you you've always been someone who speaks softly and carries a big stick. [12:05] This is not how you negotiate things in my experience covering you. [12:09] Yeah. And that's my personal. But this is also the first war fought in this age of social media with this president. [12:17] I think he does things very differently. I think he does things in his own way, different than Biden, different than Obama. [12:22] And I think we're seeing this playing out this morning. [12:24] The irony in all of this is, is that Iran has shown its capabilities in two ways, [12:29] where the United States is unfortunately catching up. [12:31] One is using cheap drones, which is they they've been providing those to Russia to use in Ukraine. [12:37] So they have lots of experiments with that. And the second is the meme war and Internet propaganda, [12:42] which is something actually the Iranians have been known for and influencing. [12:46] And so they had, you know, for all of our talk on our side of all the people killed in the regime, [12:51] they have been pushing out through multiple channels around the world, [12:54] images of the American army generals and military people who have also lost their jobs at this time. [13:01] And so, again, the way this looks out in the public is not a United States that is locked and loaded and working in one direction. [13:08] Do you think that the Iranians would rather have their entire navy back or their means? [13:13] Oh, I think when we're talking about destroyed 13,000. [13:18] I think. And this is a big decision. This is a big distinction, is that we're fighting the war on their land. [13:24] So they have a say if they survive. That's a win for them. That's it. [13:29] are so much higher, but they have to do so much less to be able to maintain some kind of [13:34] credibility. Second, that's the Iranian regime I'm talking about. The people of Iran, even back to [13:39] George Bush, have suffered. They have always had sanctions on them. They just want some relief. [13:44] And President Trump started this whole thing by saying, this is your time. Now you can come and [13:50] take over your government. And now they're losing electricity. They're losing civilian bridges. [13:53] They're losing clean water. I mean, this is nobody, United States or the regime, is helping [13:59] the people of Iran. Final words, Scott? Oh, I just, look, I think the United States military, [14:04] what we've achieved is nothing short of incredible. I think this rescue mission shows what we can do [14:08] with U.S. special forces, by the way, in a short period of time, which the Iranians ought to take [14:12] note of. And on Easter, I just pray for an outcome here that makes the American people [14:17] and Western civilization safer.