Latest news with #TheAmericanConservative
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump embraces Israeli strike after arguing against it
President Donald Trump spent the bulk of this week saying he hoped Israel wouldn't strike Iran. But by Friday, he was all in. The president had hoped for more time to negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear program, but once Israel launched the massive attack, Trump embraced the new dynamic, using it as leverage to try to seal the deal he wanted all along. 'He didn't want them to go now,' a senior administration official said about Israel. 'He understands they're a sovereign nation, and he will support them because they're our ally,' added the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, 'but he wanted more time.' The administration's shift in tone in the first 24 hours after the attack underscores the balancing act the president is engaged in as he tries to assuage various factions in the administration while still maintaining pressure on Iran. The messaging served to assure Israel that the United States had its back, nod to the hawkish faction of the Trump coalition and try to calm the jittery MAGA isolationists who have long been wary of Middle East entanglements. The constant, however, was Trump's desire to bring Iran back to the table even as the Islamic Republic vowed retribution. 'There is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,' Trump posted on Truth Social, his first public remarks after the Israeli attack. 'Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.' Trump's offer to Iran doubled as a 'direct push to Israel' to tap the brakes, the senior administration official said. But by Friday afternoon, with Iran firing dozens/hundreds of rockets toward Israel, the administration left little doubt that it was ready to support Israel's defense, a marked shift from the relatively neutral statement Secretary of State Marco Rubio released immediately after Israel's attack. 'Israel took unilateral action against Iran,' Rubio said Thursday night in a statement. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense.' But by Friday morning, Trump was calling reporters and making it clear that he knew about Israel's plans in advance, describing it as a 'very successful attack' in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The initial administration messaging was, 'we yellow-lighted it,' said Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine. 'Today they said we greenlit it. Or they moved toward a light green.' The senior Trump administration official insisted that while Washington had been informed of Israel's plans ahead of time, the United States had no role in helping plan the attack. 'We did not help plan and they didn't give us every detail,' said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations within the administration. 'We purposely did not want to know the details,' they said, adding that the United States had the chance to participate in the action against Iran, but opted not to join. Though Trump might have preferred more time to negotiate, he appeared frustrated that talks had stalled, signaling early this week that time for Iran was running out. 'They are good negotiators, but they're tough,' he said Monday at the White House. 'Sometimes they can be too tough, that's the problem. So we're trying to make a deal so that there's no destruction and death. We told them that. I have told them that. I hope that is the way it works out. It might not work out.' The 'too tough' negotiations came as an influential group of hawkish conservatives lobbied Trump furiously to bless the Israeli government's efforts to destroy Iranian nuclear sites. Israel's attack further exposed a rift inside Trumpworld between those hawks, who see Iran as an existential threat to Israel, and the isolationists wary of Middle East entanglements informed by the long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A lot of people in the MAGA movement, and ones that have really invested a lot in electing Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance will be incredibly disappointed if this turns into a larger war and it will lead to some fractures," said a former Pentagon official granted anonymity to speak about the internal dynamics of the president's foreign policy team.
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump embraces Israeli strike after arguing against it
President Donald Trump spent the bulk of this week saying he hoped Israel wouldn't strike Iran. But by Friday, he was all in. The president had hoped for more time to negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear program, but once Israel launched the massive attack, Trump embraced the new dynamic, using it as leverage to try to seal the deal he wanted all along. 'He didn't want them to go now,' a senior administration official said about Israel. 'He understands they're a sovereign nation, and he will support them because they're our ally,' added the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, 'but he wanted more time.' The administration's shift in tone in the first 24 hours after the attack underscores the balancing act the president is engaged in as he tries to assuage various factions in the administration while still maintaining pressure on Iran. The messaging served to assure Israel that the United States had its back, nod to the hawkish faction of the Trump coalition and try to calm the jittery MAGA isolationists who have long been wary of Middle East entanglements. The constant, however, was Trump's desire to bring Iran back to the table even as the Islamic Republic vowed retribution. 'There is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,' Trump posted on Truth Social, his first public remarks after the Israeli attack. 'Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.' Trump's offer to Iran doubled as a 'direct push to Israel' to tap the brakes, the senior administration official said. But by Friday afternoon, with Iran firing dozens/hundreds of rockets toward Israel, the administration left little doubt that it was ready to support Israel's defense, a marked shift from the relatively neutral statement Secretary of State Marco Rubio released immediately after Israel's attack. 'Israel took unilateral action against Iran,' Rubio said Thursday night in a statement. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense.' But by Friday morning, Trump was calling reporters and making it clear that he knew about Israel's plans in advance, describing it as a 'very successful attack' in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The initial administration messaging was, 'we yellow-lighted it,' said Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine. 'Today they said we greenlit it. Or they moved toward a light green.' The senior Trump administration official insisted that while Washington had been informed of Israel's plans ahead of time, the United States had no role in helping plan the attack. 'We did not help plan and they didn't give us every detail,' said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations within the administration. 'We purposely did not want to know the details,' they said, adding that the United States had the chance to participate in the action against Iran, but opted not to join. Though Trump might have preferred more time to negotiate, he appeared frustrated that talks had stalled, signaling early this week that time for Iran was running out. 'They are good negotiators, but they're tough,' he said Monday at the White House. 'Sometimes they can be too tough, that's the problem. So we're trying to make a deal so that there's no destruction and death. We told them that. I have told them that. I hope that is the way it works out. It might not work out.' The 'too tough' negotiations came as an influential group of hawkish conservatives lobbied Trump furiously to bless the Israeli government's efforts to destroy Iranian nuclear sites. [do we want any of the earlier quotes about this here?] Israel's attack further exposed a rift inside Trumpworld between those hawks, who see Iran as an existential threat to Israel, and the isolationists wary of Middle East entanglements informed by the long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'A lot of people in the MAGA movement, and ones that have really invested a lot in electing Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance will be incredibly disappointed if this turns into a larger war and it will lead to some fractures,' said a former Pentagon official granted anonymity to speak about the internal dynamics of the president's foreign policy team.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'May God rest his soul': JD Vance reacts to Pope Francis' death day after Vatican meeting
A day after meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Easter Sunday, Vice President JD Vance reacted on social media to the 88-year-old pontiff's death early Monday. "I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," Vance said in a statement on X. "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill." Vance also said he would long remember the pope's homily during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, "It was really quite beautiful." "May God rest his soul," Vance said. The vice president met with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday during his family's weekend visit to Vatican City. Vance, who has a home in East Walnut Hills, converted to Catholicism six years ago at a church in Greater Cincinnati. 'Make a mess' A Cincinnati priest reflects on his time in Rome with Pope Francis The visit came amid disagreements between the pope and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. According to USA TODAY, the pontiff had been critical of the administration's mass deportation of migrants and even disputed Vance's interpretation of theology. The frail but determined Francis greeted thousands in St. Peter's Square after Easter Mass in his open-air popemobile, just five weeks after a hospital stay. Vance's faith is strongly tied to Cincinnati. The Middletown native was raised nominally evangelical and explored atheism before converting to Catholicism in 2019 at St. Gertrude Priory, which is attached to a Dominican parish in Madeira, about 12 miles northeast of Cincinnati. Vance told The American Conservative that as he became more interested in faith, Catholicism was the practice that appealed most to him "intellectually." More: Cincinnati Catholic leaders remember Pope Francis as defender of 'those on the margins' This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: JD Vance reacts to Pope Francis' death day after Vatican meeting
Al Jazeera
19-04-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Infowars: Chinese AI memes and US media barbs
A trade war that pits the world's two largest economies against each other is now under way. Alongside the tariff battle is a heated battle of narratives and messages between the two countries. Contributors: Andy Mok – Senior Research Fellow, Center for China and Globalisation Jude Russo – Managing Editor, The American Conservative Isaac Stone Fish – CEO, Strategy Risks Yun Sun – Director of China Program, Stimson Center On April 15, the civil war in Sudan hit the two-year mark. The Sudanese media landscape has been devastated. According to Reporters Without Borders, since the war began, nearly 450 journalists have fled the country. Meenakshi Ravi has more. Donald Trump's public musings about how Canada should become the United States' 51st state, has Canadians rallying around their flag. The Listening Post's Ryan Kohls discusses the Trump effect and the unprecedented impact it is having on Canadian nationalism and politics. Featuring: Rachel Gilmore – Host, Bubble Pop Jonathan Kay – Editor, Quillette David Moscrop – Author and Journalist
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Battle Lines Trump Edition: Signal-gate and the battle for America's foreign policy
This week, we discovered that recent US airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen were coordinated over the unsecured Signal messaging app, where officials accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor of The Atlantic, to the group chat. This astonishing security lapse offered a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into America's top national security figures as they make high-stakes decisions. So, what did we learn? Plus: As Vice President J.D. Vance visits America's air base in Northern Greenland following Donald Trump's declaration that he will do whatever it takes to assert control over the island, we examine what a potential US annexation means for Denmark, Greenland, and the broader Arctic. Roland Oliphant is joined by Curt Mills, Executive Editor of The American Conservative, Danish politician and MEP Anders Vistisen, and Charly Salonius-Pasternak, CEO of Nordic West Office. Battle Lines, a podcast from The Telegraph, combines on-the-ground reporting with analytical expertise to help the listener to better understand the course of world politics, wars and tensions, as fault lines grind and slip in an increasingly dangerous and confusing multipolar world. Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
