Watch Live: Trump gives update on Iran war before Kennedy Center board meeting
Washington – President Trump said Monday that the United States had “literally destroyed” the Iranian regime as the war entered its third week and urged other nations to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
Commenting before the meeting with the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center, Mr. Trump gave an update on the ongoing conflict with Iran. The president said the US military has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran, saying there has been a 90% drop in ballistic missile launches and a 95% drop in drone attacks.
“Our powerful military campaign to eliminate the threats posed by the Iranian regime has continued in full force for the past few days. They have been literally eliminated. The Air Force is gone. The Navy is gone. Many, many ships have been sunk,” said Mr. “They’re warships, but I don’t think they knew how to use them. The fighter jets were destroyed. Their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone. Other than that, they’re doing pretty well.”
The president also said that more than 100 Iranian warships were “sunk or destroyed,” including 30 mineswept.
While Mr Trump said the Strait of Hormuz was in “very good shape,” he pushed other nations that depend on oil exports through the corridor to “come and help us through the Strait.”
“Many countries have told me they are on the way,” the president said, although he did not specify which countries would help the US secure access to the Strait. “Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some are not.”
Mr. Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials will announce countries that will help the US reopen the Strait. He also criticized NATO, saying he doubted that the allies would intervene to help the US if needed.
“We would protect them, but I always said, if they need, they don’t protect us,” said Mr. “Now this is a necessity.”
The president has accused Iran of using artificial intelligence to spread information about the war, but said Tehran is currently in talks with the US.
“They are negotiating, we are always talking,” he added, “I don’t know if they are ready. They are taking a shot.”
Trump says Kennedy Center was in “very bad shape”
The president then turned to the business involving the Kennedy Center, which he has wanted to redo since returning to the White House last January. Mr. Trump said that under the Kennedy Center’s previous leadership, the arts center was “in terrible shape” and “let it go to hell.”
Mr. Trump, who serves as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, has proposed a major renovation of the center, a project expected to cost $200 million. He announced last month that the Kennedy Center will close for two years during construction beginning July 4.
“Major repairs are needed for this center to continue working,” he said, adding that marble and chairs have been purchased. “This temporary closure will enable us to complete the work much faster and with the highest quality.”
The president indicated that the repairs will be partially funded by private donations.
Mr. Trump said the plan at the Kennedy Center was “too far-fetched” and “out of touch with reality,” and said needed repairs had been overlooked.
“This past year, we’ve made an amazing step to restore the real purpose and dignity that this building will soon have, I think, to a higher level than before,” said Mr. Trump, adding that the Kennedy Center has “good bones” and “a good structure.”
Mr. Trump said the plan at the Kennedy Center was “too far-fetched” and “out of touch with reality,” and said needed repairs had been overlooked.
The board meeting comes after the president announced on Friday that Ric Grenell will step down as president of the agency, and Matt Floca, until now the vice president of facilities and operations, will become CEO.
Mr. Trump thanked Grenell for his work leading the Kennedy Center, calling him “unbelievable” and praising him for his time as US ambassador to Germany during the president’s first term.
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio board member, sued over the planned closure. Over the weekend, a judge granted Beatty’s request for information about participating in the board meeting. US District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that Beatty “be given a reasonable opportunity to express his objections at the meeting and be completely prohibited from speaking.”
After the decision, Beatty said in a statement, “No president has the authority to block Congress from regulating the Kennedy Center, let alone renaming it or demolishing it.” He added, “We will not stand by while an important part of our national heritage is at risk” and said he intends to “make that clear” at Monday’s board meeting.
The meeting continues as the war with Iran escalates oil prices more than $ 100 a barrel and as the president pressured several other countries to help open the critical Strait of Hormuz. They are programs are available for the US to withdraw up to 5,000 additional troops to the Middle East, CBS News has learned.
Iran says the US-Israeli strikes have so far killed nearly 1,500 people. Iranian strikes have killed 14 people in Israel and about 40 others in the Middle East. For those, 13 were US service members.
The Kennedy Center board meeting comes after the president announced Friday that Ric Grenell will step down as president of the center, and Matt Floca, who has been the center’s vice president of facilities and operations until now, will become CEO.
