CNN Hits Trump With George W. Bush Comparison in Split-Screen Montage: ‘Unfortunately for Trump…’
Tuesday’s CNN NewsNight aired a brutal split-screen montage showing President Donald Trump and administration officials using the same language to talk about the Iran war that former President George W. Bush deployed when discussing the Iraq war.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the war on Feb. 28 after the latter lobbied the president to start the conflict. Netanyahu reportedly gave a presentation to the president and top U.S. officials on Feb. 12 in the White House Situation Room, where the prime minister claimed that Israeli intelligence showed that Iran was ripe for regime change.
On Tuesday night, a frustrated Trump posted on Truth Social to ask why Iranian civilians are not rebelling against their government to help him win the war.
Meanwhile, over on NewsNight, host Abby Phillip began the show by noting that Iran and the U.S. have exchanged fire in recent days, with the latter bombing Iran and the former targeting U.S. assets in the region.
“The escalation runs counter to Trump’s own claims that the war has been won, specifically claiming, quote, ‘mission accomplished,'” Phillip said. “But unfortunately for Trump, that’s only where the similarities in tone from the Bush administration begin.”
The Bush administration waged war on Iraq in March 2003 after claiming in a year-long propaganda campaign that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Upon invading, the U.S. discovered that Iraq had no such weapons.
Phillip then aired a lengthy montage of Bush and Trump administration officials making various claims about Iraq and Iran, respectively:
BUSH in 2002: The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons.
TRUMP in 2026: When somebody comes up and says, “Why are we doing this?” Just say, “Because we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.” It’s very simple.
BUSH in 2002: We know that treacherous history of the regime. It has waged a war against its neighbors.
TRUMP in 2026: They did something which was very foolish, very stupid, I would say. They attacked their neighbors.
BUSH in 2002: Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror from threatening America, or our friends and allies.
TRUMP in 2026: Iran, number one state sponsor of terror. They send their money all over the world to create problems.
BUSH in 2001: You’re either with us or you’re against us in the fight against terror.
TRUMP TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT in 2026: And we are telling people either you are with us or against us.
TRUMP UN AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ in 2026: You’re either against us or you’re with us, and you don’t want to be siding with Iran right now.
In 2002, Netanyahu testified before Congress and urged the U.S. to invade Iraq, stating that it would be “a good choice.”
Watch above via CNN.
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