The lies continue. In his speech today, Trump once again repeated the lie that he was against the war in Iraq. His comments from 2002 and 2003 tell a very different story.
DONALD TRUMP’S LIE:
Donald Trump claimed that he “was totally against the War in Iraq, saying for many years that it would destabilize the Middle East.”
Although not in government service, I was totally against the War in Iraq, saying for many years that it would destabilize the Middle East. Sadly, I was correct, and the biggest beneficiary was Iran, who is systematically taking over Iraq and gaining access to their rich oil reserves – something it has wanted to do for decades. And now, to top it all off, we have ISIS.
THE TRUTH:
2002: Donald Trump on whether he supported the Iraq War: “Yeah, I guess so.”
For months, Donald Trump has claimed that he opposed the Iraq War before the invasion began — as an example of his great judgment on foreign policy issues. But in a 2002 interview with Howard Stern, Donald Trump said he supported an Iraq invasion. In the interview, which took place on Sept. 11, 2002, Stern asked Trump directly if he was for invading Iraq. ‘Yeah, I guess so,’ Trump responded. ‘I wish the first time it was done correctly.’
2003: Donald Trump: The Iraq War “looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint.”
TRUMP: Well, I think Wall Street’s waiting to see what happens, but even before the fact there, obviously taking a little bit for granted, and it looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint and I think this is really nothing compared to what you will going to see after the war is over.
2003: Donald Trump on the Iraq War: “We have to – you know, it’s sort like either do it or don’t do it.”
CAVUTO: If you had to sort of breakdown for the president, if you were advising him, how much time do you commit to Iraq versus how much time you commit to the economy, what would you say?” TRUMP: “Well, I’m starting to think that people are much more focused now on the economy. They are getting a little bit tired of hearing, we’re going in, we’re not going in, the – you know, whatever happened to the days of the Douglas MacArthur. He would go and attack. He wouldn’t talk. We have to – you know, it’s sort like either do it or don’t do it.
The Washington Post Fact Checker said that “the evidence is slim” to back up Donald Trump’s claim that he warned against the war in Iraq.
‘I’m the only one up here, when the War in Iraq, I was the one who said, don’t go, don’t do it, you’re going to destabilize the Middle East. So I’m not the one with the trigger.’ –Donald Trump Trump continues to say he opposed the Iraq War ahead of the invasion. But the evidence is slim he warned against it prior to the invasion on March 20, 2003.
PolitiFact gave Donald Trump’s claim that he “was totally against the war in Iraq, saying for many years that it would destabilize the Middle East” a rating of “False.”
Trump said, ‘I was totally against the war in Iraq, saying for many years that it would destabilize the Middle East.’ The record shows at best some early reservations about the war that evolved into opposition about a year after the war began. However, we find no evidence of Trump warning about regional destabilization before or after the war started. We rate this statement False.