WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President says the United States is winning the even as deploy to the Middle East.
He has for not helping the U.S., only to say later he does not need their assistance. He has twice for Iran to reopen the . He has both threatened to 鈥渙bliterate鈥� Iran’s energy plants if the vital waterway remains largely shuttered and said the U.S. was 鈥渘ot affected” by the closure.
At one point this month, Trump said one of his predecessors 鈥� who, he strongly suggested, was a Democrat 鈥� privately told him he wished he had taken similar action against Iran. Representatives for every living former president that such a conversation happened.
As the war entered its second month on Saturday, Trump’s penchant for embellishments, exaggerations and falsehoods is being tested in an environment where the stakes are much higher than an isolated political fight.
A president who has long embraced bluster and salesmanship to shape narratives and focus attention is confronting the unpredictability of war.
Leon Panetta, who served Democratic presidents as defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff, said he has 鈥渟een enough wars where truth becomes the first casualty.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the first administration that has not told the truth about war,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the president has made it kind of a very standard approach to almost any question to in one way or another kind of lie about what鈥檚 really happening and basically describe everything as fine and that we鈥檙e winning the war.鈥�
Michael Rubin, a historian at the American Enterprise Institute who worked as a staff adviser on Iran and Iraq at the Pentagon from 2002 to 2004, said Trump is 鈥渢he first president of any party in recent history that hasn鈥檛 self-constrained to live within rhetorical boundaries.鈥�
鈥淪o of course it creates a great deal of confusion,鈥� he said.
The zigs and zags are the point
To his critics, Trump’s style is a sign that doesn’t have a coherent long-term strategy. But for Trump, the zigs and zags seem like the point, a method that keeps his opponents 鈥� and pretty much everyone else 鈥� always on their heels.
The approach was clear this week in the hours before he announced the second delay of the deadline for Iran to reopen the strait. Asked what he would do about the deadline, Trump said he did not know and that he had a day before he had to decide.
鈥淚n Trump time, a day, you know what it is, that鈥檚 an eternity,鈥� the Republican president said to laughter from members of his Cabinet.
But , with U.S. stocks closing out their worst week since the war began. To some on Capitol Hill, the freewheeling is more frustrating than amusing.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lamented that Trump is 鈥済oing back and forth and constantly contradicting himself.鈥�
鈥淭he administration is winging it,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o how can you trust what the president says?鈥�
Republicans were not willing to go that far, but their concern was apparent heading into a two-week break from Washington. Sen. of Louisiana said his constituents 鈥渟upport what the president has done.鈥�
鈥淏ut most of my people are also equally or even more so concerned about cost of living,鈥� he said.
Republican Rep. of Texas, who sits on the House Budget Committee and is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said his constituents were on board with 鈥渂lowing some crap up.鈥� Nonetheless, he expressed reservations about the prospect of ground troops and said the administration has not provided enough details in briefings for lawmakers. Such sessions, he said, only reveal information you 鈥渞ead in the papers.鈥�
鈥淭aking out bad guys, taking out conventional (weapons), taking out or at least working to take out nuclear capability, pressing to keep the straits open, all those are good things and I鈥檝e been supportive and will continue to be supportive,鈥� Roy said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檝e got to have a serious conversation about how long this is going to go, boots on the ground, all those things, press for further briefings and understanding of where it鈥檚 all headed.鈥�
Republicans back Trump but there are risks
While Trump has maintained deep support among Republicans, a poll this week from indicates that the president risks frustrating his voters if the U.S. gets involved in the kind of prolonged war in the Middle East that .
Although 63% of Republicans back airstrikes against Iranian military targets, the survey found, only 20% back deploying American ground troops.
That reflects the political challenges ahead for Trump, who did not prepare the country for such an extensive overseas conflict. If the war drags on or escalates, could build before the November elections, when their majorities in Congress are at risk. Some in the party have said sending in ground troops would be a red line that Trump should not cross.
The administration also will likely need congressional support for an additional $200 billion to support the war. That amount of money, which Trump has said would be 鈥渘ice to have,鈥� even as he said the war was 鈥渨inding down,鈥� would be a tough vote at any time. But it poses particular risks for budget-conscious Republicans in an election year.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that Trump is 鈥渞ight to highlight the vast success of Operation Epic Fury.鈥�
鈥淚ran desperately wants to make a deal because of how badly they are being decimated, but the President reserves all options, military or not, at all times,鈥� she said.
There could be some 鈥榣ogic鈥� to Trump’s approach
Rubin, the former Iran and Iraq adviser at the Pentagon, said there could be some 鈥渓ogic鈥� to the president’s ever-evolving rhetorical approach to the war. He said Trump’s initial comments about ongoing negotiations, which Iran denied, could 鈥渟pread suspicion and fear within the regime circles.鈥�
鈥淧erhaps Donald Trump or those advising him simply want the Iranians to grow so paranoid they refuse to cooperate with each other or perhaps they even turn on each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut then again, there’s always a danger with Donald Trump of assuming that his rhetoric is anything more than shooting from the hip.鈥�
Rep. of Washington state, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Trump is not going to be able to fully achieve his objectives, including the complete elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, 鈥渋n the current trajectory.鈥�
And if that is the case, Smith said, the president has the option to rely on his rhetorical skills to simply say the U.S. won 鈥� and end the war.
鈥淎s I’ve jokingly said, nobody I have ever met or heard of in human history is better at exaggerating his own accomplishments than Donald Trump,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淪o go knock yourself out and claim this was some great success.鈥�
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