President Donald Trump just humbled Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard again when answering questions from reporters on Friday.
Trump was asked about intelligence officials saying there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon, as the conflict between Israel and Iran marked a week.
“Well, then my intelligence community is wrong,” Trump said, before asking “Who in the intelligence community said that?”
When told Gabbard, Trump responded bluntly: “She’s wrong.”
His remark comes as NBC News reported that Gabbard, who has been a constant critic of U.S. interventions abroad, has appeared to be sidelined in discussions with Trump as he weighs a direct military response against Iran. Citing several anonymous senior administration officials, they said they do not expect her to leave the administration, even if the president does decide to take action.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said that Trump will make a decision within two weeks about whether the U.S. military will attack Iran, while there is a “substantial chance” of renewed negotiations between American and Iranian officials over Tehran’s nuclear program. The president is weighing on striking Iran’s uranium enrichment facility, which is widely considered out of reach, with the exception of America’s “bunker-buster” bombs.
Since the conflict between Israel and Iran began, Trump has maintained that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel first struck Iran last Friday over concerns that it was developing one.
In March, Gabbard testified before Congress that intelligence officials do not believe Iran was in the process of building a weapon.
“The I.C. continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,” she said during a House Intelligence Committee hearing. “The I.C. continues to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program.”
Trump was also asked about Gabbard’s testimony on Tuesday while on Air Force One. He said he thinks “they were very close to having one.”
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump said to reporters.
Following Trump’s remarks, Gabbard insisted that she and the president were “on the same page” over Iran’s nuclear weapon timeline, CNN reported.
“President Trump was saying the same thing that I said in my annual threat assessment back in March in Congress. Unfortunately, too many people in the media don’t care to actually read what I said,” Gabbard told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Trump on Friday also said that reporters were in “danger” while talking to him, as he took questions ahead of a super PAC MAGA Inc. dinner, which is set to be held at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
When asked if he was worried about ruining a legacy as a “peacemaker,” Trump responded: “Sometimes you need some toughness to make peace.”
He said he might support a ceasefire between the two countries amid negotiations, noting it depends on the circumstances.
“It’s very hard to stop. When you look at it, Israel is doing well, in terms of war, and I think you would say Iran is doing less well. It’s a little bit hard to get somebody to stop,” Trump said.
Stories by Rachel Cohen
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