Every single former U.S. president still alive has rubbished Donald Trump’s claim that at least one of them secretly approves of his increasingly chaotic war against Iran.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump claimed at least three times that one of his predecessors had told him behind the scenes that they wished they could have done what he is doing.
“I’ve spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually,” Trump insisted. “A past president, a former president. He said, ‘I wish I did it.’ But they didn’t do it. I’m doing it.”
Trump refused to be drawn on who it was, saying: “I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career.”
But representatives of all four living former presidents have flatly denied the story to multiple media outlets.
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton told The Independent that no such conversation had taken place between the two men.
Representatives for George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden said likewise to CNN, NBC News and the Associated Press. The Independent has also asked representatives of all three for comment.
It comes after an embarrassing day for the Trump administration as NATO allies repeatedly refuse to join the war, despite Trump’s pleading — after years of denouncing the alliance and threatening to violate its governing treaty.
Thirteen U.S. service members and reportedly more than a thousand Iranian civilians have been killed so far, while the critical Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to global shipping, driving the price of oil skywards.
“For 47 years, no president was willing to do what I’m doing,” Trump claimed during remarks at the White House Monday.
Later that day, in the Oval Office, he repeated his claim about a former president voicing support for his decisions, while again refusing to confirm who it was.
“I don’t want to say. I don’t want to say… I don’t want to get him into trouble,” Trump said. “It’s somebody that happens to like me… that person is a smart person.”
He went on: “But that person said ‘I wish I did it,’ okay? But I don’t want to get into who. I don’t want to get him into trouble.”
Asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy if it would be possible to guess, Trump said: “Yeah, I think you probably know… maybe he’d even be proud?” The president went on to confirm he was not referring to George W. Bush.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
