Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed President Donald Trump on Wednesday over whether he would consider sending the CIA to arm Iranians after publicly asking when the country’s people would “rise up and fight.”
The exchange unfolded inside the Oval Office, where Doocy questioned Trump about a statement the president posted Tuesday on Truth Social.
“Thank you, President Trump. You posted Tuesday on Truth Social, ‘When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?’” Doocy said. “If that’s what you want, will you send the CIA in to arm Iran?”
Trump declined to reveal whether he would approve such an operation, telling the Fox News correspondent that discussing the possibility publicly would be inappropriate.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to say that to you, Peter,” Trump responded. “I’d love to tell you that, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to say.”
The president then said he understood the difficult position facing Iranians who might otherwise challenge the country’s government, arguing that protesters were being shot.
“I understand their plight,” Trump said. “They’re being shot right now.”
Trump contrasted conditions in Iran with the comfort enjoyed by the gentlemen sitting with him in the Oval Office, saying the situation overseas was “not so luxurious.”
The president claimed that 52,000 protesters had been killed as of three months ago and said he had since heard reports of an additional 20,000 to 25,000 deaths. He placed the overall figure at close to 65,000 protesters killed.
Trump said he already had an idea of the answer when he asked why the Iranian people had not risen up against the regime.
“The only answer is that they’re being shot,” Trump said.
Despite that violence, Trump argued that the Iranian regime was becoming “weaker and weaker by the day.” He predicted that the government would eventually lose its ability to use force so easily because the people would no longer accept it.
Trump said most governments cannot simply kill their own citizens when they face widespread opposition. In other countries, he said, officials may attempt to reason with protesters or hold talks before a possible overthrow.
“In Iran, they kill the people,” Trump said.
The president alleged that Iranian authorities shoot demonstrators “right between the eyes” and use both machine guns and snipers against crowds.
Trump claimed the regime prefers using snipers because the tactic allows it to terrorize large groups of protesters by suddenly killing individuals within the crowd. He described a hypothetical gathering of 200,000 people in which one person is shot, saying multiple snipers could be involved.
“It’s a horrible thing to watch,” Trump said.
He concluded that the government’s violent response explained why more Iranians had not taken to the streets, asking, “Who can blame them?”
However, Trump again insisted that the regime continues to lose strength, declaring that it is “getting weaker by the day.”
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