On Trump's meeting w/ the Saudi vice minister of defense that we only found out about because of the Saudis, @jonkarl says, "It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 7, 2020
Remember Saudi Arabia and Iran have been in a power struggle and proxy wars for decades. Can’t help but wonder if @realDonaldTrump and his family’s close relationship to SA had something to do with the sudden escalation with Iran, especially with this surprise meeting. https://t.co/Js5qvw4seJ
— Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) January 7, 2020
Had a very good meeting with @kbsalsaud of Saudi Arabia. We discussed Trade, Military, Oil Prices, Security, and Stability in the Middle East!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2020
Trump backs off targeting Iranian cultural sites, acknowledging it would be a war crime: "If that is the law is, I like to obey the law.”
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) January 7, 2020
I don’t think he actually does like to obey the law. https://t.co/A2pFS3xPUH
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) January 7, 2020
I agree with Molly’s assessment. I think someone got to him and explained about war crimes and the Hague and maybe dial it back a bit if he wants to avoid being the first president tried for war crimes. So, begrudgingly, he does.
On Iraq, Trump says that he wants to let Iraq run its own affairs later, not now: "At some point, we want to get out. But this isn't the right point." He says that, when it happens, he wants the US to be reimbursed by Iraq for various costs. He mentions how big its embassy is.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 7, 2020