CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings instructed critics to let President Donald Trump “cook” as he weighs U.S. military involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In an op-ed for the Daily Mail, Jennings detailed his “harrowing” trip to the Middle East after he was stranded in Israel last Friday when the country launched a missile attack on Iran, marking the first day of the now week-long dispute.
Jennings said his experience has “solidified” his belief over where he stands in the conflict, rallying against the “fools defending Tehran” who “never will get it.”
“...President Donald J Trump’s commitment to preventing the mullahs of Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is not only critical for peace in the region but for the preservation of Western Civilization,” Jennings wrote.
“We win… or else,” he continued.
While Jennings said that Israel has been targeting Iran’s military, he argued that Tehran is deliberately targeting Israeli citizens. He recalled watching dozens of Iranian missiles trigger Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, with some getting through, killing at least dozens of people. Another strike hit the main hospital in the southern part of the country.
“In those observations lie the great question for President Trump: Should the United States allow a radical dictatorship that seeks to kill innocents, fund terrorism and lead its followers in chants of ‘Death to America’ possess a nuclear weapon?” Jennings asked.
“The answer is quite obviously ‘Hell no!’” he added.
Jennings pointed to the division among MAGA supporters and loyalists over whether the United States should directly engage in the conflict, noting that many have “exposed their ignorance” in asking “‘What has Iran ever done to us?’ proving that there is such a thing as a stupid question.”
“The sentiments range from pure isolationism to some bizarre sympathy for Iran and hate for Israel,” he wrote.
A number of typically staunch Trump allies have expressed resistance to intervention, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and “War Room” host Steve Bannon. Jennings, however, said that only Trump can decide what it means to be “America first,” which has become a point of conversation among conservatives justifying their opposition.
“Trump is not an isolationist, despite some of his supporters trying to impute this idea to him in desperate social media posts,” Jennings wrote. “The president has always been for smart engagement, but that doesn’t mean no engagement.”
Amid the stark split among the president’s base, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump will make a decision within two weeks on whether the U.S. military will become directly involved in the conflict. The White House also said it sees a “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, as American and Iranian officials participated in six rounds of talks thus far during the conflict.
“The president is now on the cusp of another historic action. The only issue now is how to proceed best,” Jennings concluded.
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