A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump once distanced himself from Israel's military action. Now he's taking some ownership.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The president is talking in terms of, we, when he discusses Israel's war against Iran. He's even saying the United States could take out - his words - the supreme leader of Iran, calling Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an easy target who is only safe for now. The president has faced some pushback from his own political allies who oppose American involvement.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez has been covering this. So, Franco, President Trump spent the afternoon yesterday with his national security team in the situation room. What are the chances of deeper United States involvement here?
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Yeah, A, that's the big question, and that was being debated in the situation room - you know, the future of U.S. action in this conflict. I mean, Trump has repeatedly said all options are on the table. He's drawn a red line if soldiers are targeted. But he's also signaling the U.S. is already more involved than the White House previously let on. Just as Steve was pointing out, he's boasting that, quote, we now have total, complete "control of the skies over Iran." He's saying, we know where the supreme leader is. I mean, he's repeatedly using that word, we, blurring the line between Israel's objective and U.S. objectives. You know, and taking that kind of ownership has really raised more concerns of the U.S. getting more involved into another foreign conflict.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. So that's interesting, because some of the people who are most concerned about foreign involvement are allies of President Trump. So tell us more about this friction.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. For someone who has such dedicated supporters, it's really notable that some of Trump's longtime backers are questioning his judgment here. Trump, of course, has long been known for his America First message. And some key conservative allies, such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Trump's former White House aide, Steve Bannon, see Trump straying from America First and are pressing him to stay out of this fight. Here's Carlson explaining his position on Bannon's podcast, "War Room."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TUCKER CARLSON: My interest is really simple - I don't want the United States enmeshed in another Middle Eastern war that doesn't serve our interests.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, Trump campaigned on ending long wars - peace through strength, he would say. I also spoke with Brett Bruen, who served as the White House director of global engagement in the Obama administration. He said Trump supporters thought they were getting a president who was going to disentangle the U.S. from overseas commitments.
BRETT BRUEN: What they're seeing, however, is a president who is getting pulled back into a foreign crisis that another country started and that the U.S. interest remains somewhat questionable.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So how is President Trump responding to these criticisms?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, he's pushing back, especially against Carlson. Trump posted on social media, quote, "somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
MARTÍNEZ: Now, you know, I - and you mentioned enrichment. I could - I remember, like, a few weeks ago, Trump had actually been talking about a deal right before the most recent strike. So does this latest stance mean that that diplomacy is now completely over?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, right now Trump doesn't appear to be interested in diplomacy. He told reporters he's not in the mood to negotiate. What we don't know is whether, at the same time, this tough talk is part of his strategy to further pressure Iran, because he's also said he may send Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to negotiate - though perhaps not right now.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thanks a lot.
ORDOÑEZ: Thanks, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
