In a wide ranging interview on Pod Force One taped Tuesday afternoon at the White House, President Donald Trump seemingly confirmed the strong language he used on his call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, saying he "wasn't angry," but was "a little bit perturbed" by Israel "constantly fighting with Lebanon."
Trump also pushed back on the suggestion that Netanyahu "tricked" him into going to war with Iran. "I heard that the other day for the first time. They said he tricked me. I mean, I'm the one that started it, because again, I don't want to bore anybody, but I started because we can't let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
Trump indicated he still has not made a decision on taking a deal with Iran or resuming the U.S.-Israeli military campaign.
When pressed on what a bombing would achieve, the president said, "Certainty," adding "there wouldn't be any b-------" and expressing his belief that it could be done without boots on the ground. "Now I have to make a determination: do we sign a deal or do we do it the other way? And the other way is not nice," he said.
Trump once again claimed that Iran has agreed to not pursue nuclear weapons -- though he noted that could change.
The president was also pressed on his shifting stances when it comes to Iran and the state of play. Asked if that was part of his "art of the deal," Trump said, "It's just the way I am," but also argued "things change."
Asked if he would meet Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump replied, "Yeah, I'd like to meet him. I'd like to meet everybody. I'd like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works."
Trump didn't rule out the possibility that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could still be in place by Labor Day. "I don't know, I mean, I think it could be, but I think it's unlikely. I think that we'll have it. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly," Trump said.
The president repeated his belief that gas prices will quickly fall after the war ends and said that the economy is "doing very well, other than this."
He said he couldn't have waited until after the midterms to take action in Iran, because the regime not having a nuclear weapon was "too important."
