WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump in his first live address to Americans about the war in Iran.
鈥淲e’ve beaten and completely decimated Iran,鈥� he from the White House on Wednesday. 鈥淭hey are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭heir radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.鈥�
His certitude is now colliding with the uncertainty of war.
The American fighter jet that was shot down in Iran on Friday was a searing reminder of the dangers associated with war, prompting a search operation that of one crew member. was hit by Iranian air defenses, Iranian state media reported, days after Trump said Iran had 鈥渘o anti-aircraft equipment.鈥�
For the Republican president, who did not appear in public Friday, the developments were the latest example of his triumphal characterization of the war appearing misplaced.
He has expressed surprise at Iran’s moves to strike its Gulf neighbors. He has struggled to respond to Iran’s move largely shuttering the , disrupting global oil supplies and sending in the United States. His overtures to world leaders to help him reopen the vital waterway have been rebuffed, with some allies before addressing that situation and others openly critical of a war that Trump chose to initiate.
Trump has long relied on unyielding self-confidence to propel him through the worlds of business and politics, boasting during the 2016 campaign that 鈥淚 alone can fix it.鈥� That has often translated into a go-it-alone approach where only Trump has the answers in a chaotic world and dysfunctional Washington. This view of the presidency has justified his executive orders at home and tariffs that affect the global economy.
But the war with Iran, which he undertook alongside Israel and without consulting other allies or Congress, has provided a test like almost nothing before. For Trump, it is no longer 鈥淎merica First鈥� but America alone, and he is the principal.
鈥淵ou can be the most assertive, aggressive president in the world but you don鈥檛 control what happens overseas,鈥� said Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University.
Some traditional allies speak out
As the war enters its sixth week, that reality is becoming more apparent. Trump spent most of the first year of his second term using trade penalties as a weapon that would force other countries to bend to his will. Today, in a time of war, some traditional American allies are becoming more outspoken.
French President said this week that the United States 鈥渃an hardly complain afterward that they are not being supported in an operation they chose to undertake alone.鈥�
鈥淭his is not our operation,鈥� he said.
British Prime Minister has not budged from his refusal to be drawn into the war despite fierce criticism by Trump. France and the United Kingdom are leading efforts to reopen the strait once the fighting ends.
At home, even some of Trump’s fellow Republicans are reinforcing the need to maintain strong international relationships. After the president threatened to withdraw from NATO this week, Senate Majority Leader , R-S.D., said there were not enough votes in the Senate to support that.
鈥淲e got an awful lot of people who think that NATO is a very critical, incredibly successful post-World War II alliance,鈥� Thune said of past conversations among Republicans about the move. 鈥淚 think in the world today, you need allies.鈥�
Trump made no mention of leaving NATO during his White House address.
, a first-term Trump national security adviser who has since become an adversary, said the current administration made a 鈥渟erious mistake鈥� by not consulting allies before going to war.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 build your coalition before the war, it鈥檚 pretty tough to do it while you鈥檙e in it,鈥� said Bolton, who pleaded not guilty last fall to federal charges accusing him of emailing classified information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home.
But he also cautioned European leaders against reflexively opposing Trump out of frustration with his lack of consultation. That, Bolton said, would be 鈥渏uvenile and petulant.鈥�
Trump on his own terms
Trump’s penchant to work on his own terms is not limited to the war.
Just this week, he said congressional approval of a ballroom he wants to build at the White House is 鈥渘ot necessary鈥� despite a judge’s ruling. He signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting.
In a first for a sitting president, he of the Supreme Court as his administration tried to defend an executive order restricting birthright citizenship.
But as with the war, Trump’s go-it-alone strategy at home is also confronting limits.
The Supreme Court struck down his far-reaching tariff program. Democrats his voting executive order in court and, despite his courtroom presence, the justices of his bid to dismantle the Constitution鈥檚 provisions providing birthright citizenship.
Then there is the uncertainty about the ballroom.
During private comments at an Easter lunch at the White House this week, Trump 鈥� ever the builder 鈥� seemed to lament the constraints on his job.
鈥淚鈥檓 such a king I can鈥檛 get a ballroom approved,鈥� he said to laughter from an audience that included Cabinet members and religious leaders. “I鈥檓 doing a lot. But I could be doing a lot more if I was a king.鈥�
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Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
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