During a debate on CNN, Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson tells host Victor Blackwell that the invasion of Afghanistan is “Obama’s war,” despite the fact that it occurred in 2001 under the President George W. Bush administration.
According to CBS News , Blackwell questioned Pierson regarding Donald Trump’s comments about Obama being the founder of ISIS. The Republican nominee doubled down on the remarks, then later tweeted that he was being “sarcastic.” He later stated in another campaign rally that he was “obviously” being sarcastic, then it was “not that sarcastic, to be honest with you.”
Donald Trump threatens to revoke press credentials of The New York Times https://t.co/Vp6DVRI1ji
— ew (@ewana_ew) August 14, 2016
“If you want to go way back, we can look at the troop surge. And after 2007, al Qaeda was essentially in ashes,” Katrina Pierson told the CNN host. “It was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton who then destroyed the entire rollout by wanting to pull out early, announcing their plans, ignoring intelligence and that’s the reason why ISIS is a global issue…”
When Blackwell asked her if she is referring to Obama in 2004, Pierson continued .
“Remember, we weren’t even in Afghanistan by this time. Barack Obama went into Afghanistan creating another problem. It was Hillary Clinton in Libya which was also a reckless decision to create that vacuum. They armed the rebels and they’re even funding them now.”
The CNN host attempted to clarify Pierson’s comments asking her if she is saying that Obama took the U.S. to Afghanistan after 2009.
Pierson went on to say “Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton — that was Obama’s war, yes.”
When President Bush decided to invade Afghanistan in 2001, Mr. Obama was a state senator in Illinois.
Here is the follow up where Victor Blackwell fact checks Katrina Pierson and her ISIS history.. pic.twitter.com/4FhelNe7ah
— Richard W. (@IceManNYR) August 13, 2016
When the CNN host pointed this out to Pierson, she insisted that ISIS was created by the Obama side of the war. Trump’s spokesperson then asked the host if that is a fact. Blackwell tells Pierson that she is factually incorrect and breaks down the founding of ISIS.
They continue to argue over Trump’s remark that Obama and Clinton co-founded ISIS together. Blackwell points out that even Trump’s surrogates are having trouble knowing when the Republican nominee is being serious or sarcastic.
Trump initially shut down the claim that he wasn’t being literal when Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt suggested that the candidate could not have been serious.
How much does Donald Trump pay in taxes? It could be zero. https://t.co/cy6EEWNoRe
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 14, 2016
Due to Trump frequently making comments and walking them back, his campaign has said that he was joking, while some others said he was not.
Donald Trump’s fact free accusations appeal to his core fan base. However, it doesn’t seem to help the Republican nominee with undecided voters with poll number favoring Hillary Clinton.
In what many political pundits call a backup plan, Trump has stated that the election is rigged, but has not provided any proof to back up this accusation.
The Washington Post questions whether Donald Trump has hit rock bottom and explains the challenges the Republican nominee has going forward.
“The two biggest battlegrounds, Ohio and Florida, remain competitive, although Clinton currently leads in both. Trump must win both or find a truly innovative route to victory. Trump also trails by an average of roughly nine points in Pennsylvania, another state considered a must-win for him and supposedly ripe for his anti-trade message.”
Tim Matheson says Trump is far from Reagan as both a politician and a human. https://t.co/0KKcZv6jtz
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 14, 2016
Trump may need the support of undecided voters to win the swing state battles against Hillary Clinton. However, his inflammatory comments are taking attention away from Clinton’s flaws and have voters focused on his indecisiveness and the constant need to clarify his comments.
Donald Trump also has trouble with his tax returns. The Republican nominee has refused to release his tax returns despite the fact that an audit does not prevent him from doing so.
If the polls don’t change drastically in Trump’s favor, he may have already lost the election.
[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
