President Donald Trump refused to answer when a reporter asked him if blowing up civilian sites in Iran constituted a war crime.
Mediaite reports Trump spoke to reporters Friday from the Oval Office when The New York Times’ Shawn McCreesh asked the hard question about his threat to escalate his war with Iran by destroying civilian resources.
“A question about Iran,” piped McCreesh. “You’re talking about blowing up civilian power plants and bridges, much of the civilized world would consider that a war crime. Do you?”
“I won’t respond to that question,” said Trump, who instead attacked McCreesh’s company for daring to pose the question.
“Who are you with?” the president demanded.
“The New York Times,” McCreesh answered.”
“Figures. Failing New York Times,” Trump mumbled.
Mediaite reports Trump’s contemptuous nonanswer came on the heels of the Iran conflict escalating, and four American soldiers recently killed.
Critics on X did not abide Trump’s refusal well.
“A reminder that when journalists fawn over Trump giving them more access than previous presidents, taking more questions more regularly, this is how he actually ‘answers’ those questions,” said Zeteo founder and British-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan on X.
“ANY time he doesn’t like a question, he insults the reporter!” commented retired Marine Stephen Cottrill on X.”
“The press haven’t learnt,” said another X user. “They need to just keep following up with the same question. Over and over again.”
“See you in The Hague, pal!” howled another.
Another called out Trump’s flawed opinion of failure: “He’s been calling the Times ‘failing’ for over a decade,” said the heckler. “Never has a rate of decline been so gradual.”
This week Trump threatened to knock out “ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT” for every shot fired at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, even as his unilateral war with Iran the U.S. economy.