Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy said Donald Trump’s latest remarks needed to be “fact-checked” during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s program this week.
Doocy, 39, questioned the president’s denial of an Atlantic report published Wednesday alleging that the Pentagon may be considering a strike against Iran to protect Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
The report was based on information from two unnamed administration officials.
Hannity invited the Fox White House correspondent onto his Thursday night broadcast to discuss the report and Trump’s response.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States would not be “attacking” Iran before November and insisted the two nations were engaged in “productive discussions.”
“We have to fact-check the president here, Sean, because he was telling us for weeks that he did not care about the midterms. Iran was too important,” Doocy told Hannity.
“We know that is not true, because he is the surrogate for Republicans. He’s out almost every night,” Doocy added.
Doocy noted that Trump was scheduled to travel to New York on Friday to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in his race against incumbent Kathy Hochul, as well as support other GOP candidates.
Doocy, 39, challenged Trump’s denial of a Wednesday Atlantic report suggesting the Pentagon could be weighing military action against Iran for political reasons ahead of the midterms. The report relied on statements from two unnamed administration officials.
During the broadcast, Hannity and Doocy both raised the possibility that Trump’s denial could be “a head fake.”
Trump had traveled to Texas for a rally on Wednesday.
The Atlantic’s report on Iran noted that the United States had not launched a strike against the country in several weeks.
Authors Nancy A. Youssef and Jonathan Lemire wrote that the “assumption” behind the pause was that Trump wanted to keep a low profile “through November 3 so as not to remind voters of an unpopular war that is dragging Republican candidates down.”
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“He came out and said, that is not true,” Doocy said of Trump’s response.
“We don’t know how seriously he considered the options that were presented to him by the secretary of war and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but he says that it’s not going to happen before the war,” Doocy continued.
Doocy then questioned the purpose of Trump’s statement, asking whether it was “a head fake to get the Iranians on their heels” or an admission that the conflict was creating serious political problems for Republicans.
The eight-month conflict has also increased costs for Americans after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route that normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil.
“We have to remember—a lot of people watching, too, have already voted, and are going to vote tomorrow, and are going to vote the next day,” Doocy said, appearing to suggest that the Atlantic’s account may have been accurate.
Trump wrote on Truth Social the previous day: “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd. IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The eight-month conflict has raised costs for Americans following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes. Pro-regime demonstrators gathered in Tehran, Iran, on Thursday.
‘The White House is trying to do things – they’re trying to show other areas that they can try to address affordability.’
Trump wrote the day before: ‘we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd. IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’
The Daily Mail has approached the White House for comment.
Hannity told Doocy after hearing the take: ‘Well, Peter, the president does have- he has been very consistent in this part. He used to say, “Why would I tell you? I’m not gonna tell you. It’s not to my benefit.” So, could it be a head fake? Nothing would surprise me with this president.
‘He’s unpredictable, especially on that issue.’
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