Fox News analyst Lisa Boothe said Wednesday that President Donald Trump appeared increasingly frustrated and weary as the conflict with Iran intensified, pointing to the mounting challenges facing the administration amid renewed military action in the Middle East.
Trump was in Turkey on Wednesday attending a NATO summit, where the deteriorating situation with Iran quickly became a focal point. Earlier in the day, the president declared that the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran was “over” after Tehran fired on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, U.S. forces launched another round of attacks against Iranian targets.
The president has addressed reporters several times while in Turkey, offering updates on the rapidly developing situation. During a discussion on Fox News’ Outnumbered, Boothe shared her assessment of Trump’s public remarks, arguing that the strain of multiple international conflicts appeared to be weighing heavily on him.
“Well, obviously very concerning for him to twice today talk about Iran potentially taking him out,” Boothe said. “Look, he sounds frustrated to me. He sounds tired, as well. He’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders with wars in Ukraine, as well as Iran.”
Boothe said Trump has repeatedly spoken about “finishing the job” in Iran but questioned what that objective actually entails under current circumstances.
“He talks about finishing the job in Iran, but I would love to know what that means,” she said. “Because so far, you go through—we’ve checked off the checklist of what you do to try to systematically take out and break a regime, from taking out many of their leaders to also even these maritime blockades, choking them financially and economically, as well.”
The Fox News analyst went on to discuss the extensive campaign carried out by the United States and Israel against the Iranian regime. She pointed to heavy strikes that began in February as part of Operation Epic Fury, along with other efforts aimed at weakening Tehran’s leadership and limiting its financial and military capabilities.
Despite those actions, Boothe argued that the campaign has not produced the outcome many expected.
“Still,” she said, “the regime’s not breaking.”
Boothe also questioned what a successful conclusion to the conflict would ultimately look like, particularly as tensions continue to grow in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
“So what does exiting look like, particularly with what’s going on in the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption that the Iranians have been able to move forward with there?” she asked.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained at the center of the latest escalation after Iran fired on ships in the area, prompting Trump to declare the memorandum with Tehran effectively finished and authorize a new wave of U.S. military strikes.
As the fighting continues, Boothe said it remains unclear what victory would ultimately mean or how the United States could bring the conflict to a close.
“So, I don’t know what exit looks like. I don’t know what winning looks like at this point,” she said. “It’s frustrating, so I guess we’ll wait to see, but it looks like we’re in a quagmire right now.”
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