Trump sounded a little Bushian with his talk of ousting the “outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro” and opening up a “bright new future” for Venezuela, albeit one under the very same regime Maduro once led.
“We fought to tie” is a hard line on previous wars and, in several cases, not an inaccurate one — a better critique than some of Trump’s prior ones. He is definitely more energized in the second half of the speech, after much of the East Coast has tuned out.
“The firemen don’t get mentioned enough,” Trump says. Man, 2001 was a long time ago.
One thing Trump is absolutely right to brag about is the recent surge in military recruitment numbers. I know people who work on this issue as their number 1 priority, and the undeniable fact is that Trump’s victory led to a spike in numbers that had been perilously flagging for years.
The Warrior Dividend of $1,776 for each military member has already been spent on tattoos, Jack Daniels, and overdue car notes.
There is a tension between Trump’s assertion that Operation Midnight Hammer “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear program and the threat that if they don’t give up their nuclear program, he would order a massive attack. Trump started the process of trying to resolve this tension tonight by arguing that they have been trying to rebuild the destroyed nuclear program.
Trump is beginning to make the public case for regime change against Iran by noting that such an action would be defensive against a regime that has “killed and maimed thousands of American” servicemembers. He focused specifically on the “roadside bomb,” a reference to Iranian support for insurgents in Iraq that are believed to be responsible for at least 600 U.S. fatalities.
I continue to appreciate that Trump reminds us regularly that Iran made war on our soldiers in Iraq. That would have been a very different war had we stopped Iran from doing so.
Trump seemingly beginning his pitch for action in Iran by recounting their IED, missile, and civilian threat.
Ukraine receives a fleeting mention on the 4-year anniversary of the current Russian invasion.