Broadcaster Hugh Hewitt said that President Donald Trump is "clear-eyed" about his approach to the Iran-Israel war, despite what his detractors on both sides of the political aisle may say.
Writing in an opinion article for the Washington Examiner on Wednesday, Hewitt reminded readers that Trump has been consistent in his stance that Iran should never have nuclear weapons. "President Donald Trump, like every president before him, declared this. But Trump meant it. In every interview, Trump said the same thing again and again. On May 7, the president laid it out to me on my program. 'It's very simple,' he said. 'Yeah, it's very simple. There are only two alternatives there — blow [the nuclear facilities] up nicely, or blow them viciously,'" Hewitt wrote.
As on Wednesday evening, Trump said he has reviewed and approved a military option for the U.S. to engage directly with Iran, but has thus far withheld from giving a formal go-ahead. "I may do it, I may not do it," Trump said in an exchange with reporters at the White House. "I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do."
Trump's now well-known ability to misdirect his opponent's read on his intentions is on full display this week, according to Hewitt. "Trump disables the ability of many otherwise rational and calm people to think clearly. As a result, they don't pay attention to his spoken words. When he repeats and repeats and repeats the same thing, take it to the bank," he wrote.
The president has left many of his detractors aghast with his blunt and pointed language directed at Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When Trump posted on social media that Khamenei's only option was complete and total surrender, the Iranian leader promptly rejected it. Trump later responded curtly, "I say good luck."
Hewitt concluded by saying there really is only one possible outcome now that Israel and the U.S. are aligned. "This awful war is reaching its peak, and Trump and Netanyahu are in control of the West's strongest and most ingenious militaries. It will not end well for the fanatics in Tehran, but it may result in a long-awaited counterrevolution in Iran that would free the great Persian people to return to modernity and the West," he added.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.