Transcription
We knocked out everything. Now, some of the fake news would say, oh, we didn't do it fast enough. You're from ABC. You're fake. Go ahead. The fake news media treats me very, very badly. Look at all the fake news back there, watch. That's a lot of fake news. The news, the fake news has no credibility. You know who's drug in the big game? The fake news.
TAKE A LOOK AT HIS MEDIA. HI AGAIN, EVERYBODY. IT'S NOW 5 O'CLOCK IN THE EAST. AS LONG AS DONALD TRUMP HAS IN THE PUBLIC EYE, DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN OBSESSED WITH HOW HE'S SEEN BY THE PUBLIC AND THROUGH THAT HE SEES HIMSELF AND HOW HE'S COVERED BY THE PRESS. AS THIN-SKINNED AND IT'S A BATTLE THAT STARTED WITH SMEARING JOURNALISTS AS ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE, CULMINATED OVER THE WEEKEND WITH A COMICAL BUT DANGEROUS WAR ON THE TRUTH IN THE SAME WAY DONALD TRUMP IS GOING AFTER PEOPLE WHO EXPOSED HIS NO BIG CONTRACTS AND FAILED REFURBISHMENTS OF THE REFLECTING POOL. HE'S DOING THAT NOW WITH THE PRESS WHO DARE TO COVER THE DEBACLE WITH IRAN ACCURATELY.
LAST NIGHT HE WENT ON A TIRADE AGAINST JOURNALISTS AT THE NEW YORK TIMES CALLING OUT A NEWS ANALYSIS PIECE WITH THE TITLE, QUOTE, WHAT CHANGED AFTER ALMOST FOUR MONTHS OF WAR? ANALYSTS SAY NOT MUCH. HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT IS IN THAT PIECE OF REPORTING, QUOTE, NEITHER THE WAR NOR THE AGREEMENT ENDED WHAT U.S. AND ISRAELI OFFICIALS REGARD AS THE MAIN THREATS EMANATING FROM IRAN. THAT COUNTRY'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM WHILE HEAVILY DAMAGED WAS NOT ELIMINATED. ITS FATE PUNTED TO FUTURE NEGOTIATION. THE SAME GOES FOR ITS BALLISTIC MISSILES, WHICH THE DEAL DOES NOT ADDRESS. BY SATURDAY, EVEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMMEDIATE RESULT OF THE DEAL, IRAN'S REOPENING OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, WHICH TRUMP HAD IDENTIFIED AS ESSENTIAL, SEEMED AT RISK.
TRUMP HAD HIS USUAL CRITICISMS OF THAT PIECE OF ANALYSIS BY SAYING IT WAS FAKE AND CORRUPT, BUT THEN WENT FURTHER THAN THAT, ACCUSING THE NEW YORK TIMES OF, QUOTE, TREASON. TREASON IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. AND THEN SAID HE WOULD ADD THIS REPORTING TO HIS ALREADY EXISTING LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NEW YORK TIMES. NOW, NOTHING THAT THEY REPORTED IN THAT SEGMENT I READ YOU HAS BEEN DISPROVEN BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BUT WHAT'S ON DISPLAY HERE IS THAT FACTS DON'T TRUMP. HE'S A MAN WHO ONLY BELIEVES GOOD THINGS ABOUT HIM TO BE TRUE AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS TRUE ABOUT HIM MUST BE A LIE. IT'S AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TRAIT TO HAVE IN ANY HUMAN BEING THAT ANYONE'S IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH, BUT ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY UNPRECEDENTED IN ANY SORT OF LEADER OR PUBLIC OFFICIAL BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A REAL ESTATE DEAL THAT YOU CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THE NUMBERS ON OR A NEW GOLF COURSE OPENING OR A PARTY AT MAR-A-LAGO. THIS IS A WAR WITH ANOTHER NATION. THIRTEEN MEMBERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY HAVE DIED. MORE LIVES ARE AT STAKE. THE GLOBAL ECONOMY HANGS IN THE BALANCE AND A COUNTRY'S NUCLEAR FUTURE WILL BE DETERMINED. THAT'S WHY IT'S SUCH A BIG DEAL. THAT'S WHY IT'S COVERED THE WAY IT'S COVERED, ACCURATELY, AGGRESSIVELY. TRUMP CARES ABOUT IS HOW HE LOOKS IN THE STORIES ABOUT THE WAR WITH IRAN AND CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK GOOD. NOT EVEN CLEAR WHAT THAT MEANS ANYMORE WITH HIS OWN COALITION TURNING SO DRAMATICALLY AGAINST THE WAR. AND TRUMP COULDN'T CARE LESS WHAT IS ACTUALLY TRUE. WE MENTIONED IN THE HE TOLD THEM TO IGNORE THE TRUTH. THAT STATEMENT REMAINS AS SIGNIFICANT AND FRIGHTENING TODAY AS IT DID WHEN HE FIRST EDIT IT. JUST REMEMBER, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AND WHAT YOU'RE READING IS NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING. THE CONTEXT THERE WAS TARIFFS, BUT YOU COULD NOW TAKE THAT AND LAY IT OVER TARIFFS AND THE WAR IN IRAN AND THE REFLECTING POOL AND THE DEAD DUCK AND ON AND ON AND ON.
DONALD TRUMP'S ONGOING WAR AGAINST THE TRUTH AND WHITE MATTERS TO EVERY ONE OF US IS WHERE WE BEGIN THE HOUR, SOME OF OUR FAVORITE EXPERTS AND FRIENDS. STAFF WRITER AT THE ATLANTIC TOM NICHOLS IS HERE, HE'S A PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS AT THE U.S. NAVAL COLLEGE, NAVAL WAR COLLEGE. ALSO JOINING US, MILITARY ANALYST, LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK HURTLING'S BACK. HE SERVED AS THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE U.S. ARMY IN EUROPE. ALSO JOINING US, POLITICAL ANALYST, FORMER SENATOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL IS HERE. CLAIRE, I WANT TO START WITH YOU AND THE POLITICAL PUSHBACK TO SOMEONE SO ADDICTED TO LIES. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HIS COALITION, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE FOR ONCE BECAUSE WHAT SEEMS INTERESTING TO ME DEMOCRATIC PARTY. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT YOU HAVE HIGH-LEVEL DEFECTIONS FROM TRUMP THAT SHOW THAT THIS STRATEGY HAD A CEILING AND A FLOOR, AND I WONDER WHAT YOU THINK THAT PRESENTS IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE OTHER SIDE, DEMOCRATS AND PRO-DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES AND INDEPENDENTS AND LITERALLY EVERYBODY ELSE. THE 69% OF AMERICANS WHO AREN'T APPROVING OF THE JOB TRUMP'S DOING AS PRESIDENT?
WELL, IT ALL IS VERY, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S EXHAUSTING FOR EVERYONE. ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION. IT'S VERY EXHAUSTING. THE POLLING NUMBERS SHOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY IS REJECTING HIS STILTED VERSION OF THE WORLD, HIS FALSE FALSE INFORMATION THAT HE PUTS OUT ON A DAILY BASIS. AND HE IS LIKE IN A HOLE AND HE CAN'T QUIT DIGGING. SO REALLY THE DEMOCRATS JUST NEED TO KEEP STRESSING THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE REALLY CARE ABOUT. AND TRUMP IS KIND OF MAKING IT WORSE EVERY DAY. AND I LISTEN, I READ MARK'S ARTICLE IN THE BULWARK ABOUT THE IRAN WAR. AND IT IS SO INSIGHTFUL. AND HE'S RIGHT, WE TALK ABOUT ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE ALL THE TIME AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS. AND WHAT HE STRESSES IN THAT ARTICLE THAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT TRUMP HAS DONE. AND WHAT MOST AMERICANS DON'T REALIZE HE HAS DONE IS THE PERMANENT DAMAGE HE HAS, THAT IRAN, THE IRAN WAR HAS DONE TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS, TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS, TO OUR FAMILIES, TO OUR FAMILIES, TO OUR FAMILIES. THAT IS WHERE THE MOST DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE AS MARK DID A BRILLIANT JOB OF POINTING OUT IN HIS ARTICLE TODAY AND I CERTAINLY HOPE, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT I HAD TO JUMP IN THERE AND PRAISE IT BECAUSE I WANT EVERYBODY TO READ IT THAT IS PAYING ATTENTION BECAUSE IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, THE THINGS HE TALKS ABOUT. IT IS A NEW WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO MILITARY SUCCESS BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE BY PUTIN IN UKRAINE AND INTERFERING IN ELECTIONS, AND NOW WITH THIS DEBACLE IN IRAN.
GENERAL HARTLING, I'LL READ FROM YOUR PIECE, WHICH CLAIRE HAS SET UP PERFECTLY FOR US. QUOTE, ONE THING IS CLEAR, MOST OF AMERICA'S ADVERSARIES HAVE LARGELY CONCLUDED THAT DEFEATING THE UNITED STATES MILITARILY IS UNLIKELY. BECAUSE OF THAT DECADES AGO INSTEAD, INSTEAD, INSTEAD, THEY BEGAN SHIFTING THE COMPETITION TOWARD THE VERY THINGS THAT MAKE AMERICAN POWER EFFECTIVE. THE DEFINING LESSON OF IT'S NOT A LITTLE BIT OF MODERN ASYMETRIC WARFARE MAYBE THAT AMERICA'S ADVERSARIES HAVE STOPPED TRYING TO DEFEAT US WHERE WE'RE INSTEAD, THEY SEEK TO WEAKEN THE RELATIONSHIPS, CONFIDENCE, COHESION, INSTITUTIONS AND EVEN THE GOVERNMENT THAT AMPLIFIES AMERICAN POWER. EXPLAIN.
IT'S INTERESTING. I GOT MY FIRST SWIPE AT THIS, NICOLE, BACK IN 1998 WHEN I WAS IN THE WAR COLLEGE, THE KIND OF PLACE THAT TOM TEACHES AT. AND FIRST I OUGHT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY UH TO MY MISSOURI FORMER MISSOURI SENATOR AND FORM AND UH CURRENT ONLY CARDINAL FAN ON MS NOW BUT WE'RE THE ONLY TWO HOLDING UP THAT PARTICULAR BANNER BUT UH WHAT I'D SAY IS I GOT MY FIRST TASTE OF THIS IN CHINA. UH I WAS THERE IN 1998 WE WERE AT THE CHINESE WAR COLLEGE IN NANJING AND WE ASKED THEM ABOUT WHAT THEIR OPERATIONAL EXERCISE WAS IN THE WAR COLLEGE AND THE ANSWER WE GOT WAS THEY WERE PORTRAYING A RE A RETAKE OF DESERT STORM BUT THEY WERE PLAYING THE IRAQIS TO DEFEAT THE AMERICANS AND THEY WERE USING METHODS THAT THE IRAQIS HAD NOT USED IN THAT PARTICULAR CONFLICT AND WHAT WE'VE SINCE COME TO KNOW THOSE AS ARE ASYMMETRIC APPROACHES. AND IT'S THE APPLICATION OF STRATEGY, TACTICS, CAPABILITIES AND METHODS TO NEGATE AN OPPONENT'S STRENGTH WHILE EXPOSING HIS WEAKNESSES. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING GOING ON IN IRAN RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE THINK ASYMMETRIC ATTACKS ARE LIKE THE PLANES ON 9-11 OR THE IEDS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. BUT THIS IS A PRETTY LARGE EXAMPLE OF ASYMMETRIC WARFARE. AND IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE LIKE SECRETARY HEGSETH, THE PRESIDENT, DON'T VALUE PLACES LIKE THE WAR COLLEGE, WHERE TOM'S TAUGHT FOR SO MANY YEARS, TO TALK ABOUT HOW MILITARY OPERATIONS ARE EVOLVING FOR THE FUTURE. AND IF WE DON'T GET IT RIGHT, IT'S GOING TO COME BACK TO HAUNT US. YOU CAN HAVE THE GREATEST MILITARY IN THE WORLD, BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THE OTHER THINGS THAT OUR GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DO, YOU'RE GOING TO BE EVALUATED ON HOW POOR YOU ARE AS A NATION AND HOW YOU'RE NOT COMING TOGETHER AND OTHER NATIONS ARE GOING TO THREATEN YOU. AND IN A WORLD OF COMPLEX THREATS, IT PUTS US IN A REALLY BAD POSITION.