Killing Iranian general was 'American justice' Donald Trump says
10 January 2020, 08:23
Donald Trump has used the first presidential campaign rally to claim he applied "American justice" in a drone strike which killed Qassem Soleimani.
The President was also praised by his Deputy for taking out the "most dangerous terrorist in the world," the President was speaking at an event in Ohio where he used the address to snipe at Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, he also suggested he should have won the Nobel Prize.
Mr Trump mocked Ms Pelosi's mental acuity and called Mr Schiff a "pencil neck". He also dubbed senator Bernie Sanders "crazy Bernie" for raising objections to how he carried out the strike on Gen Soleimani.
The president made his comments shortly after the Democratic-controlled House approved a resolution asserting that Mr Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran.
"We got a call. We heard where he was. We knew the way he was getting there," Mr Trump told cheering supporters. "We didn't have time to call up Nancy, who isn't operating with a full deck."
"They want us to tell them so they can leak it to their friends in the corrupt media," he added
The Iran crisis, which momentarily overshadowed his looming impeachment trial, has also opened a new front in the 2020 presidential campaign for Mr Trump, who in 2016 campaigned on a promise to end American involvement in "endless wars".
Vice President Mike Pence, who joined the president for the rally, said Mr Trump deserved credit for taking out a "dangerous terrorist" while managing to keep the engagement from escalating into an all-out war.
"And when American lives were threatened by the most dangerous terrorist in the world, President Donald Trump took action and Qassem Soleimani is gone," Mr Pence said.
"And in the wake of that attack, Iran responded, but thanks to the professionalism of the military, we suffered no American casualties and Iran appears to be standing down. That's what leadership looks like."
Mr Trump also brought up the Nobel Prize, a subject of some consternation to him. The President told supporters he deserved the 2019 honour and not Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
"I made a deal. I saved a country, and I just heard that the head of that country is now getting the Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country," he said.
"I said, 'What?' Did I have something to do with it? Yeah. But, you know, that's the way it is. As long as we know, it's all that matters."
Mr Abiy was awarded the prize in October for his sweeping reforms and surprising embrace of a bitter rival.
