Speaking to CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil on the floor of a Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan, Trump was asked about recent developments in Iran, such as the first executions of protesters, slated for Wednesday. Trump said he hadn’t heard of that yet, but that action would be taken if such a thing were to happen.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things that — I don’t know what your, where you come from and what your thought process is — but you’ll perhaps be very happy,” he responded.
“We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump added.
When asked what the endgame was, Trump said it was to “win.”
“I like winning. And we’re winning,” he said.
When asked to define winning, Trump referred to his previous successes in Venezuela, the operation to kill former ISIS Caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, and Operation Midnight Hammer in June.
“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And, you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing. When they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging, we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good,” he said.
Trump touched on Iran again while speaking to reporters after getting off Air Force One.
IRAN HUNTS DOWN STARLINK USERS AS MUSK OFFERS FREE INTERNET SERVICE TO PROTESTERS
He said the “killing was significant” in Iran and that he would soon have accurate numbers regarding the death toll. Current public estimates vary widely from 500 to over 12,000 protesters killed.
The president declined to provide details about his plans for Iran, but played down concerns about Tehran’s promised retaliation against U.S. troops, pointing out that similar threats were made before Operation Midnight Hammer, only to come to nothing. He again bemoaned the deterioration of Iran, saying he remembered when his friends would invest in it under the shah, but it was now “living in Hell.”
