A Fox News montage on Wednesday spectacularly undercut Donald Trump's repeated but as yet unfulfilled claim that a deal to end the Iran war he launched on Feb. 28 is just days away.
Fox News Highlights Contradictions
Fox anchor John Roberts noted the president has now been talking up "this elusive deal" for nine weeks, despite insisting the U.S. had Iran "on the ropes."
The supercut starts with Trump on March 31 declaring, "Two or three weeks, we leave." Throughout April and May, Trump is seen repeatedly saying a deal could happen "any day" and insists Iran is "dying" to make one. In clips from June, he claims the war is in its "final throes" and will be over "in two or three days."
Roberts summed up Trump's comments: "That's nine weeks of, 'We're close to a deal.' At some point you've got to acknowledge it's not happening."
Analysts Question Strategy
Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume agreed and suggested Trump may be trying to send different messages to different audiences.
"He's dealing with the Iranians and telling the American public and consumers and the owners of stocks that we're close to a deal in the hope perhaps that will calm the petroleum markets," he theorized.
"At the same time, of course, he says we're ready to attack at any time, and they dare not fool with us. So, I think it's a bit of a mystery here as to exactly where we are," he added.
