President Donald Trump did not take kindly to being asked whether he believed bombing civilian power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes after he threatened to do just that in Iran.

The president, 80, was taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office when he was asked about his threat this week on Truth Social.

“You’re talking about blowing up civilian power plants and bridges. Much of the civilized world would consider that a war crime. Do you?” the reporter asked Trump point blank.

The president paused for a moment before deciding it was probably best not to answer the question at all, which had clearly annoyed him.

“Uhhh, I won’t respond to that question,” Trump said before demanding to know which outlet the reporter worked for.

“The New York Times,” the reporter responded.

“I figured so; the failing New York Times,” Trump said before turning away.

HE ordered the targeting of civilians (remember the girls school?) and civilian infrastructure. War criminals are held to account. If you don't wanna be a war criminal held to account, stop doing war crimes.

all 4 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 2 points 3 months ago (3 children)

None of the other US presidents who committed war crimes were held to account. Why would he be the exception?

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Why shouldn’t we start holding them to account?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • 57 comments in c/politics@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 171 points 3 months ago (7 children)

    He wasnt cornered. He was asked a question, refused to answer and nobody else asked the same thing.

    Journalists in America are fucking cowards

  • source
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 27 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    All the news outlets are owned by right wing billionaires

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    It's more about the fact that reporters who ask questions like that don't find their way back into the press room.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    This. I served as the Opinion Editor of my college newspaper. I hung around students who saw themselves as "real" journalists and they saw it as their duty to annoy the living hell out of administrators and others, often in defiance of the faculty representative in the paper office. I knew guys who would just walk into board meetings uninvited. They'd corner the university president. They'd go to meetings and ask questions that the administrators clearly did not want to answer and then push on them to give an answer. Freedom of the Press is not something that is comfortable. It will have push-back, the laws designed to protect it have to be activated from time-to-time. What's been the most successful tool of curtailing the "Fourth Estate" in modern politics is not silencing so much as fostering a space where the press never use their freedoms.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago

    True but if all their journalists are either being banned from the whitehouse for asking difficult questions or are quitting in protest then they'll probably be doing a cost benefit analysis to determine what is going to effect them financially

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 66 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    I love it when they include this asshole’s age after his name. Just to draw attention to the fact that not only is he a raging unhinged narcissistic lunatic, but and old raging unhinged narcissistic lunatic.

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 19 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    It’s clickbait. At first glance, one hopes the rest of the headline announces his death. We are let down each time.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Is it really clickbait when your hopes are dashed 4 words into the headline?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 47 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    I'm confused. Did he get BLASTED or SLAMMED at all?

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 46 points 3 months ago (10 children)

    Cornered? Bruh, he doesn’t care, at all. War crimes really only matter when there is accountability involved. The United States government and military will never acknowledge nor accept responsibility for the numerous war crimes it has committed, past or present.

    Who reads these articles and responds “Yo they got him good! XD”.

    Israel commits war crimes daily, and nothing happens. In other conflicts throughout the world, rape is used as a weapon of war, children are forced to carry AK’s. Let’s corner those leaders! We’ll show them!

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago (8 children)

    There will be a post Trump. He'll die long before he faces consequences, but there will be a lot of political will to see someone suffer

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 3 months ago (7 children)

    lol, good one. When has anyone from the United States government been tried for war crimes? Would that not need to be prosecuted at The Hague?

    Idk why people think anything will be different. It’s good to have something to hold on to, I guess.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago* (2 children)

    IIRC, they have a mandate to invade the Hague to liberate US officials, so not only will they not offer people up, they will kill not to.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago* (1 child)

    This cat gets it. Until the United States empire falls, there will be no accountability. It will fall, eventually, but no time soon.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago

    And we'll get to live through more thrashing as it flails into the pit of its own demise, taking down whatever it can with it.

    Then we get techno feudalism from the ashes, that'll be fun.

    I'm tired.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Truth. I can't recall a single US president that wasn't at least implicated of war crimes. Not one of them was held accountable in the slightest.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago*

    Tbf despite the shortcomings of other presidents, I don't think any others were as globally despised as Trump.

    Like, look at Bush/Cheny. Trump makes them look more harmless than Simon/Garfunkel.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 44 points 3 months ago

    "Trump, 80..." Gets me every time

  • source
  • [–] 41 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    War criminals are held to account.

    When did that start? It seems to me that only happens to the poor ones. It's the same enforcement standard as any other law.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] [S] 13 points 3 months ago* (4 children)

    When did that start?

    Past (none were poor):

    Recent war-crime prosections:

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago (2 children)

    Have we prosecuted any rich war criminals recently? It is telling that you have to go back to the Nazis, 80+ years ago was the last time that happened.

    The ICC has prosecuted 54 individuals for war crimes, and 47 of them have been from Africa. Do you think war crimes are only happening in Africa? Or are the rest of the world's war criminals getting away with it?

    Do you actually think we will see a trial for the biggest war criminals like Trump and Netanyahu?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago

    Not only will they not, the US will use force to make sure about that. The only reason Trump isn't labeled a war criminal by the ICC is because he'd probably bomb the Netherlands directly after. Or Belgium, as if he cared or knew.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 21 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    When I read “Trump, 80” there is only one word I expect to follow.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 16 points 3 months ago* (2 children)

    War criminals are held to account.

    Not if they're American.

    The Hague Invasion Act ensures that will never happen.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 15 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    No use cornering someone who can noclip through walls though

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 13 points 3 months ago

    before demanding to know which outlet the reporter worked for.

    "I figured so"

    Next time they should respond by asking him to take a guess first

  • source
  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago

    And he's still invincible, due to cowards in Washington and the media.

  • source
  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago
    [–] 5 points 3 months ago*

    “I figured so; the failing New York Times,” Trump said before turning away.

    So what he just faced the wall until he was held accountable? Or do you not actually know what cornered means.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

    He deserves to be put in the best prison in Europe with the best psychiatric help for the rest of his life

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago*

    "but but but trump! can't you simply threaten everyone that doesn't agree with your words and actions? then they'll all be happy and love you!"

  • source