Donald Trump, with his characteristic bombast, has been claiming during stump speeches that he was always against invading Iraq. The claim is a way to strike at former President George W. Bush and, by extension, former Florida Gov. Jeb. Bush, who is running to be the third of that esteemed family to become president. But, Politico found out that in 2002 Trump expressed support for invading Iraq while on the Howard Stern show.
Trump, when confronted with the tape at a town hall meeting, claimed that he was against the war when it started in 2003 and that, besides, he was not a politician at the time.
The response was a bit lame all things considered.
Democrats like Hillary Clinton, when confronted by the fact that they not only supported invading Iraq but voted for it, hinted darkly that the Bush administration lied to them about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in that country. Trump has taken up that theme but never used it to claim that he had been hoodwinked. To do so would have gone against his narrative of being a master of foreign policy.
No doubt some rival campaign, probably Ted Cruz’s, will run a campaign ad pointing out the deception. Then Trump, petulantly, will threaten to sue. One would think that the latest escapade would be the one that finally lets the air out of the campaign, but that would be to adhere to hope over experience.
Trump may not have remembered his statement in support of invading Iraq when he claimed that he was “always:” against invading Iraq or he may just be brazenly lying. In the first instance, he is the victim of bad staff work. His staff should have researched Trump’s previous media appearances and advised him to act accordingly.
Trump could have gone the Hillary Clinton route.
The other possibility is that Trump is just telling whoppers because they sound good, and he knows his fan base does not care what comes out of his mouth is true or not. The problem is that they better start caring. The Trump on the campaign trail is just embarrassing and a little scary. The Trump in the Oval Office will just be scary,
