Former Pentagon Official Says Donald Trump Is Acting Like 'A Drunk' Over Iran War Outbursts

A former senior Pentagon official has compared Donald Trump to a “drunk at the end the bar” over his comments about the Iran war.

The US president has issued a series of seemingly contradictory announcements about how the conflict is going and America’s objectives since launching strikes with Israel more than a month ago.

In a White House speech on Wednesday night, Trump once again said the US will “leave” Iran in two to three weeks, and will bomb the country “back to the Stone Ages. where they belong” in the meantime.

He also said the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed to oil shipping by Iran since the war began, will re-open “naturally” once the war is over, without explaining why.

Speaking to Times Radio before the president’s address, Jim Townsend, who spent more than 20 years at the Pentagon in the 1990s and 2000s, said Trump was “confused” about the aims of the war.

He said: “I think they’re trying to put lipstick on a pig, as we say. I think the president’s style is what he calls ‘the weave’ and he just talks stream of consciousness.

“He’s like the drunk at the end of the bar who’s got an opinion about everything, and he just sits there and spouts off.

“I don’t think it’s calculated, I don’t think it is part of a strategy, I don’t think it’s a tactic. I think that’s just the way it is, and people around him are trying to put a happy face on it.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.