Day 1,079: Trump told rich buddies more than Congress about Soleimani strike beforehand

The U.S. shocking killed ruthless Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani in a drone strike Friday. Previous administrations weighed whether his death was worth the inevitable fallout and determined it was not. Donald Trump went ahead with it anyway, even as the consequences remain wildly unknown.

Trump has seemed less concerned with long-term fallout and more keen on short-term “we killed a terrorist” talking points and impressing his pals. This has largely been his pattern for three years (and his entire life): spinning short-term accomplishments while letting someone else deal with the fallout.

According to a report by The Daily Beast, Trump was walking around his private South Florida club dropping hints about huge news.

In the five days prior to launching a strike that killed Iran’s most important military leader, Donald Trump roamed the halls of Mar-a-Lago, his private resort in Florida, and started dropping hints to close associates and club-goers that something huge was coming.

According to three people who’ve been at the president’s Palm Beach club over the past several days, Trump began telling friends and allies hanging at his perennial vacation getaway that he was working on a “big” response to the Iranian regime that they would be hearing or reading about very “soon.”

Trump’s son, Eric, seemed to know something was up before the rest of the country too, in a tweet that was soon deleted.

Of course, Trump didn’t brief Congressional leaders and didn’t get authorization for the strike that almost certainly required their consent. They are privy to classified information, can weigh in on the gravity of the situation and, most importantly, were duly elected by voters.

Trump found it more important to brag to people who pay him $14,000 per year after six-figure initiation fees.

1,079 days in, 383 to go

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