Letter to the editor: Trump OK'd Iran's attack on U.S. air base, Brunswick Beacon

Brunswick Beacon, 08.21.25

Remember when FDR told Japan it could bomb Pearl Harbor? Or when JFK told Russia it could put nukes in Cuba? Or when Reagan gave Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, the green light to bomb the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans? Me neither. 

If they had, they would have been impeached and convicted of treason, which the Constitution defines as “levying war” against the United States, or giving “aid and comfort” to its enemies.

So, where’s the outrage over Trump saying he gave Iran permission to bomb a U.S. military base? Trump admitted it on camera on June 25 at the NATO summit. 

You can read all about it at Military.com, “the most-read military news and information site for U.S. service members.” Google, “Trump Said He OK’d Iran’s Plan to Strike Al Udeid” and read Military.com’s June 27 article, which quotes Trump calling the Iranians “very nice. They gave us warning. They said, ‘We’re going to shoot ‘em. Is one o’clock, OK?’ I said, ‘It’s fine.’” 

Military.com writes: “Trump himself seemed to be aware of the danger that the Iranian attack posed because right after saying he gave Iran permission to strike, he said that ‘everyone was emptied off the base so they couldn’t get hurt except for the gunners.’ Privately, many officials within the Pentagon struggled to explain the president’s remarks, though some pointed to his history of bluster and exaggeration.” 

Did Trump really OK Iran’s attack? Perhaps. But Trump lies constantly, spreading “alternative facts” and dismissing truth as “fake news.” It’s the “firehose of falsehoods,” a Russian propaganda technique designed to make it impossible to know what to believe. Steve Bannon, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, explained: “The real opposition is the media. The way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” 

Lenin, Stalin and Putin lied. Trump, the wannabe dictator, is following their lead.

Michael Rush 

Leland