President Trump promised to use the term “Mission Accomplished” more often after dropping the phrase into a tweet about the airstrikes on Syria on Saturday.
The phrase has been often used mockingly or avoided as a potential albatross by politicians after President George W. Bush appeared on an aircraft carrier with “Mission Accomplished” on a banner behind him in May 2003 to celebrate the end of the Iraq war. American troops remain in the country and the war was far from finished on the day of Bush’s speech, leading many to mock him for declaring the war over.
However, Trump has no such qualms about using it in relation to American operations in the ongoing civil war in Syria.
“The Syrian raid was so perfectly carried out, with such precision, that the only way the Fake News Media could demean was by my use of the term ‘Mission Accomplished.’ I knew they would seize on this but felt it is such a great Military term, it should be brought back. Use often!” Trump tweeted.
The U.S. struck targets throughout Syria Friday evening, targeting the country’s chemical weapons program. Trump decided to order the strikes — which came both from missiles and from airplanes — as a response to Syria using chemical weapons on its own people the week before.
The Pentagon said the strikes were so effective that Syrian defenders did not fire their weapons until after the attack was completed. However, Syrian media reported many American missiles were struck down by surface-to-air defense systems.
