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Lawrence O'Donnell Scolds 'Spoiled Child' Trump Over This Bold Iran War Claim
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MS NOW host Lawrence O’Donnell on Tuesday ripped Donald Trump for declaring the U.S. can have “control of anything we want” amid what he has claimed to be negotiations to end the Iran war. (Watch his monologue on “The Last Word” below.) The president, when asked at the White House if the two sides were working out who would control the Strait of Hormuz, made the “anything we want” assertion, even as Iranian officials deny that such peace talks are going down. “The man who started the most expensive war in history without being able to explain why continued to sound like a spoiled child today,” O’Donnell said of a war that cost the U.S. an estimated $12.7 billion in the first six days — a number that continues to grow. After playing a clip of Trump, the host continued, repeating the president’s words: “‘We’ll have control of anything we want.’ He wants to control the Strait of Hormuz now, and he doesn’t. And he doesn’t know how to get control of the straits.” O’Donnell called out Trump for now seeming to be fighting in Iran for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been shut down since the start of the war but was “free and open to shipping” a matter of weeks ago. Trump’s brag that the U.S. can take anything it wants arrives as his approval rating fell to an abysmal 36% as a result of the war and its toll on prices at the pump. “Donald Trump is looking, desperately, for a way out that will not look like total surrender on his part,” O’Donnell argued. The host later pointed to Trump suggesting on Tuesday that the Iranian regime gifted the U.S. with a “very big present,” one that Politico reported could be a ship carrying Iranian crude safely out of the strait. The remarks, per the outlet, “baffled” those close to the administration. “Baffled, indeed. One ship. One ship getting through the strait and Donald Trump treats it like a wonderful present, a ‘very significant prize,’” O’Donnell said. But, as Bloomberg has indicated, a ship carrying Iranian crude hasn’t transited the strait. “The only people who could authorize the movement of a ship in that situation is the current Iranian ruling regime, which is exactly the same ruling regime that was in place before Donald Trump started his war,” O’Donnell noted. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.