Trump compares Iran strikes to atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: NATO Summit live

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

President Donald Trump is using his NATO trip to double down on his 'total obliteration' of Iran 's nuclear sites and has blasted the media for reporting on an intelligence assessment that cast doubt on the matter.
Trump also compared his airstrike to the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan that ended World War II, hits that 'ended the war.'
'I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war,' he told reporters at The Hague.
Trump also blasted the media, calling them 'scum' for revealing the findings of the U.S. intelligence assessment.
' CNN is scum, the New York Times is scum, MSNBC is scum,' he said.
'They're bad people, they're sick. And what they've done is they want to turn this incredible victory into something less,' he added.
Trump is expected to get some good news out of the summit – the alliance is expected to approve his call to raise defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
Wednesday's NATO meeting is Trump's fourth foreign trip of his second term. He's received a royal welcome, becoming the first American president to spend the night at the Dutch royal palace, and he joined the toasts at Tuesday night's welcome dinner.
The president is spending less that 24 hours in the Netherlands but has a packed trip, including a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and a formal press conference.
Trump compares Iran strike to Hiroshima and Nagasaki
President Donald Trump compared his airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites to the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan that ended World War II.
His strikes also ended a war, he noted, pointing to the Israel and Iran ceasefire.
'That hit ended the war,' Trump said. 'I don't want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don't want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war.'
'If we didn't take that out, they would have been they'd be fighting right now,' he added.
Trump didn't rule out another airstrike if necessary.
When asked whether the US would strike again if Iran built its nuclear enrichment program, he replied: 'Sure.'
Trump blasts 'scum' media on leaked intelligence report
President Donald Trump repeatedly slammed the media for its reports on a U.S. intelligence assessment that cast doubts on the airstrike's ability to take out Iran's nuclear program.
CNN and The New York Times both reported on a leaked intelligence assessment that stated the weekend strikes against key nuclear facilities in the country only set back Iran's nuclear programme by a couple months.
'We had a tremendous success,' Trump told reporters at his first NATO meeting. 'And this is the New York Times. I call it the failing New York Times. It's going to hell. And CNN, which is, you know, very few people are watching, and you would think they'd do the opposite.'
'So it's just fake news by CNN, which has got no ratings. It's a failed network,' he added.
'CNN is scum, the New York Times is scum, MSNBC is scum,' he said.
'They're bad people, they're sick. And what they've done is they want to turn this incredible victory into something less,' he noted.
The president also made a furious post on the matter to his Truth Social account from the Netherlands at what would have been near 4am local time.
'Fake news CNN, together with the failing New York Times, have teamed up in an attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history,' he wrote.
Leak investigation begun into intelligence report
The Pentagon has begun an investigation into the leaked intelligence report on the airstrike on Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the FBI has taken the lead on conducting the probe after CNN, the New York Times and other outlets obtained the report.
'We're doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now, because this information is for internal purposes, battle damage assessments, and CNN and others are trying to spin it to make the president look bad,' he said during the NATO meeting.
And Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued the leakers had an agenda.
'This is what a leaker is telling you the intelligence says,' he said of the report. 'That's the game these people play. They read it and then they go out and characterize it the way they want it characterized. And they're leakers. This is the game they play.'
He added it was 'against the law' to leak the information and told the media the leakers 'characterize it for you in a way that's absolutely false.'
Trump defends Iran strike, calling it a 'total obliteration'
President Donald Trump doubled down on the success of the American airstrike on Iran after an intelligence assessment cast doubt about it.
'I believe it was total obliteration,' the president said.
And he cast doubt on the intelligence report.
'The intelligence was very inconclusive. The intelligence says "we don't know,'' he said.
He also dismissed reports the Iranians were able to remove enriched uranium ahead of the strike.
'I believe they didn't have a chance to get anything out, because we acted fast. If it would have taken two weeks, maybe. But it's very hard to remove that kind of material, very hard and very dangerous for them to remove it,' the president said.
'Plus they knew we were coming, and if they know we're coming, they're not going to be down there. There aren't too many people that are going to be down there.'
Trump's top aides, sitting next to him in his meeting with NATO President Mark Rutte, backed the president.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a 'flawless mission' and slammed the intelligence report's findings.
'When you actually look at the report, by the way, it was a top secret report. It was preliminary. It was low confidence,' he said.
11:45
NATO president Mark Rutte gushes over Trump
NATO President Mark Rutte had news that pleased President Donald Trump: the alliance will decide unanimously for countries to raise defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
Trump has long wanted a 5% contribution, up from the 2% being used.
'I've been asking them to go up to 5% for a number of years, and they're going up to 5%,' the president said in his one-on-one with Rutte.
Rutte repeatedly praised Trump for pressuring the member states to ramp up their spending. He has courted Trump ahead of the trip, texting him a congratulations note on the strike on Iran that Trump shared on social media.
The NATO president also noted the contribution increase would not have happened 'if Trump would not have been elected president of the United States.'
'This would not have happened if you would not have been elected in 2016 and
re elected last year and back into office in January. So I want to thank you,' Rutte told the president.
There could, however, be some objections from member nations who aren't happy about the new spending level. Spain, in particular, is angry about it. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that his country would contribute 'no more, no less' than 2.1%.
It also remains unclear if the United States will meet the 5% contribution mark. Currently the U.S. contributes 3.5% and Trump has argued that is enough.
Trump reassures NATO members on Article Five
President Donald Trump offered uneasy NATO members some reassurance about his commitment to the alliance, saying he was with them 'all the way.'
Trump has long cast doubt he would support NATO's Article 5, which requires members to defend each other from attack.
On the plane ride over on Tuesday, he was noncommittal when asked about.
But he was more reassuring on Wednesday.
When asked about Article 5, Trump told reporters: 'We're with them all the way.'
Article 5 is seen as a sacrosanct pillar of the NATO alliance. It has only been used once: on September 11, 2001 when the NATO countries backed America after the terrorist attack.
11:42
NATO summit is Trump's fourth foreign trip
The president is expected to spend less than 24 hours in the Netherlands, where, in addition to meeting with NATO leaders, he'll meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump started his trip with a family photo and a group dinner on Tuesday night, where he sat next to Dutch Queen Maxima.
11:39
Trump starts NATO summit on royal note
President Donald Trump started off his day at NATO on a royal note, having breakfast with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
The Dutch royals invited Trump to spend the night at Huis Ten Bosch palace, an offer the president accepted.
It marks the first time an American president stayed at palace.
And Trump expressed his appreciation.
'The day begins in the beautiful Netherlands. The King and Queen are beautiful and spectacular people. Our breakfast meeting was great! Now it's off to the very important NATO Meetings. The USA will be very well represented!,' the president wrote on his Truth Social account.