On Monday, White House correspondent Liz Landers spoke on the phone with President Trump while he was attending what he described as a “very important meeting” on the Iran war.
Geoff Bennett:
This morning, our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, spoke on the phone with President Trump while the president was attending what he described as a very important meeting on the Iran war.
Liz joins us now.
Ok, Liz, so how did this phone call come about, and what did you ask the president about?
Liz Landers:
Well, Geoff, we have been talking about how the president has had very unconventional messaging in the last few weeks since this conflict started, and he has been picking up the phone when reporters have called him and asked questions about Iran.
I called him around 8:00 a.m. this morning. We spoke for just three minutes. It was a very fast call. He said when he picked up that he was in a very important meeting, but he did make some comments and I was able to ask him some follow-up questions.
He reiterated to me that he believes that the Iranian military has been decimated. He said that, they want to make a deal, the Iranians, “But they’re not ready to make a deal, in my opinion.” And he talked a little bit more about that military strike that happened at the end of last week on Kharg Island.
This is a big terminal for Iranian oil. It’s their main hub for their oil exports. Like, 90 percent of their oil exports go through here, so very strategic location. He said that that is out of commission now, except for the pipes, saying that the United States in those military strikes did leave some of that oil infrastructure there.
But he did threaten to hit Kharg Island again and said that he would knock the hell out of it if Iran does not cooperate going forward. He also talked about the infrastructure in Tehran, saying that, right now, that city, the United States, has not hit electric plants there. He said he could knock out electric plants, but that that would include years of rebuilding and also trauma.
So, he said — quote — “I’m trying to hold off on that kind of thing right now.”
Geoff Bennett:
And you also asked him about rising oil prices? What did he say?
Liz Landers:
Yes, well, yesterday, we had seen Secretary Wright, the energy secretary, out on the Sunday shows talking about this.
Americans are seeing this at the gas pump right now. So I asked the president about those oil prices rising. He said that it’s a — quote — “very small price to pay” for what he described as more than four decades of terror from the regime.
But he did predict that those oil prices will — quote — “drop like a rock” as soon as the war is over. He said: “I don’t believe it will be long,” so giving kind of an update on the timeline there.
My final question to him was about American troops on the ground. He has been asked repeatedly if the U.S. will send troops to the region. And, last week, we heard from a Democratic Senator, Dick Blumenthal of Connecticut, who came out of this briefing, was sounding the alarm bells that he thinks that the administration is preparing to put troops on the ground.
The president didn’t want to weigh in on that with me. When I asked if his thinking around this topic has changed at all in the last few days, he said: “No. I just don’t want to talk strategy with a reporter,” Geoff.
Geoff Bennett:
OK, Liz Landers, terrific reporting. Thank you.
Liz Landers:
Thanks.
