Host of “Fox & Friends” Brian Kilmeade was deeply critical of President Trump’s choice to suddenly back down from retaliation on Iran during a panel discussion on Friday morning. Kilmeade said, in light of attacks on two oil tankers and a U.S. Navy drone shoot down in the Strait of Hormuz, the president’s withdrawal from his initial order to attack looked like “weakness.”
The New York Times reported late Thursday evening that Trump had authorized attacks on Iranian radar and missile battery targets, only to withdraw the order to strike before any bombs were dropped. The president has been hesitant to use military force against Iran and early on Thursday insinuated that the drone may have been shot down by mistake.
The decision to take action came after Trump told reporters that, “This is a new wrinkle, this is a new fly in the ointment, what happened, shooting down the drone. And this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you.”
Kilmeade said of the sudden choice not to attack Iran, “North Korea is watching. All our enemies are watching. Of course, Assad is watching, and for seven weeks, nothing but provocations. There is a price to pay for inaction and that says a lot.”
He continued, “Every day that passes by when they blow up four tankers and we do nothing and they blow up a drone that costs $130 million and we do nothing … it’s not going to end there. At some points in the Middle East no action looks like weakness. Weakness begets more attacks.”
