Donald Trump Officials Reportedly Were Perplexed Over His ‘Whimpering’ Comments About Baghdadi Killing
Donald Trump told the world that top Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was like a “dog” and was “whimpering and crying and screaming” as he died. But according to The Daily Beast, several Trump administration officials say that they were perplexed about the president’s comments, given that there is no way he could have heard audio of Baghdadi’s death because there was none.
The president announced on Sunday that U.S. troops, in cooperation with Syrian forces, had killed the top Islamic State leader in a raid. As The Inquisitr previously reported, special ops forces raided Syria’s Idlib province.
“He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place. God bless America,” Trump said.
Trump explained that Baghdadi was chased into a tunnel by troops where he was cornered. He detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three children. The president explained that Baghdadi died “whimpering and crying and screaming.”
However, five officials who watched as the president made the announcement say that they were perplexed and surprised by Trump’s description of the situation. Two of the officials say that they began messaging each other in confusion.
“[U]h where is he getting that?” one reportedly said.
White House officials may not have been the only ones left scratching their heads. Pentagon officials told The Daily Beast that Trump couldn’t have heard Baghdadi as he was watching the livestream of the operation because there wasn’t any audio. Officials confirmed that it is possible the president chatted with people who were on the ground during the events, but that hasn’t been the case of other raids of this type in the past.
BREAKING: President Trump says U.S. has killed terrorist leaders during his administration "but not the big names."
"I kept saying, 'Where's al-Baghdadi? I want al-Baghdadi.' … I've been looking for him for three years." pic.twitter.com/PVhCEW7mTT
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 27, 2019
Reporters questioned the president’s account of the events, asking acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley to clarify Trump’s comments on Baghdadi’s death. When Esper was asked if he had heard the “whimpering” and “crying” that Trump recounted, he said, “I don’t have those details.”
Milley added that he didn’t know where Trump got the language he used to describe Baghdadi’s death.
Trump’s announcement on Sunday wasn’t the only time that he has described the Islamic State leader as “crying” as he was killed. But people close to the president say that he often uses this type of language to describe his opponents.
“Whether they’re actually crying or not, [Trump] will very often accuse some person he’s in a fight with, like a celebrity or a politician, of being weak and just crying all over the place,” one insider said. “It’s a favorite insult of his.”