CNN’s Abby Phillip Hits Trump With Ballistic Video Receipts on Iran Missiles

CNN anchor Abby Phillip hit President Donald Trump with a barrage of clips sounding the alarm over Iran’s ballistic missiles — and his decidedly different new attitude.

The president closed out the 52nd Group of 7 (G7) Summit at Evian-le-Bains in France with a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, during which he mounted an emphatic defense of Iran’s missile program.

“I mean, they have to have some because other people have some, and they’ve got to have some,” Trump said.

On Tuesday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip dropped a blizzard of clips showing Trump and his officials singing a different tune before the deal, and asked former political prisoner Kian Tajbakhsh to weigh in on Trump’s shift:

PHILLIP: So, one of the things, Kian, that we’ve talked about with you is the ballistic missile component of this.

TAJBAKHSH: Yes.

PHILLIP: And I just want to play what the administration had been saying about ballistic missiles and what they’re saying now. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We’re going to destroy their navy. We’re going to destroy their air force, and we are going to significantly destroy their missile launchers so they can never hide behind these things to get a nuclear weapon.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission. Destroy the missile threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.

TRUMP: Well, what am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can’t have them? Yes, sir. It doesn’t work that way, you know? It doesn’t work that way. And missiles aren’t the problem. Missiles are — they hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAJBAKHSH: I mean, it’s — I what can I tell you? It’s — look, I mean, exit planning and — look, knowing to do what I think, to do the right thing is one thing, but knowing how to do it right is a different thing.

PHILLIP: That is very true.

TAJBAKHSH: And, you know, I’m in the position that it was — you know, maybe it wasn’t the right time to do it, but at some point, I felt that the war was inevitable. And I think this is kicking down the can down the road, this agreement.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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