Trump immediately walks back comment that he doesn't support Iranian protesters
Let's do that again.
During a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, President Trump was asked if the U.S. supports anti-government protesters in Iran. "I don't want to comment on that, but the answer's no," he said. "But I don't want to comment on that."
The president pretty much immediately changed course, later tweeting that the U.S. and the Trump administration have always supported the demonstrators.
And there's the walkback https://t.co/J4m8FAMtcB
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) December 3, 2019
Unsurprisingly, Trump said he had a reason for the mix-up. He apparently thought the question was asking whether the U.S was providing financial support for the protesters, as opposed to moral and ideological solidarity.
Trump clarifies his answer on Iran -- and says he thought the question was about financial support when he said no. "We do support them totally and have supported them from the beginning," he says in meeting with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 3, 2019
It's possible the misunderstanding was genuine — Trump, after all, usually doesn't hesitate to criticize Tehran — but regardless it appears Washington's official stance has been cleared up.
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