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US Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump opposed the Iraq war as early as five days after it started as is evidenced in the below quotes with references. The mainstream media is however mischievously denying the evidences and the fact verifiable easily from the links below.
The Iraq war started on march 20th 2003. Here is Trump at the time:
March 25, 2003: The Washington Post quotes Trump, at a post-Oscars Vanity Fair party, as saying the war is “a mess.”
Washington Post, March 25, 2003: Donald Trump, with Amazonian beauty Melania Knauss at his side, pronounces on the war and the stock market: “If they keep fighting it the way they did today, they’re going to have a real problem.”
Looking as pensive as a “Nightline” talking head, the Donald concludes, “The war’s a mess,” before sweeping off into the crowd.
In July 1, 2003: Trump appeared on “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and expresses concern about money being spent in Iraq rather than in the U.S. He made his comment when he was asked about a quote Trump gave in February 2000 about the possibility of running for president.
Trump, July 1, 2003: I never did run [in 2000] and I probably never will run. But we’re having a lot of fun. I think the president is doing a very good job. I would love to see New York City and some of the cities and some of the states get some of the money that`s going toward Iraq and other places, because you know, they really need and it they need it badly.
Trump, Sept. 11, 2003: It wasn’t a mistake to fight terrorism and fight it hard, and I guess maybe if I had to do it, I would have fought terrorism but not necessarily Iraq.
Nov. 4, 2003: Trump appears on “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” where he is asked about the impact of the economy on President George W. Bush’s reelection bid. Trump says “the economy is doing well,” but predicts “his bigger problem is going to be what’s happening in Iraq.” Trump talks about the “tremendous cost” of the war and the “very, very unpleasant surprises in Iraq.” He says, “The question is whether or not we should have been in Iraq in the first place.”
Matthews, Nov. 4, 2003: Let me ask you about the president’s course from now until next election, until next November. How does it look over the next year? Is it going to stay up? I thought it was interesting that he low-balled this number. He said 7 percent, 7.2 percent, but don’t count on it continuing. Is that smart politics?
Trump: Well, I think it is smart politics. I think his bigger problem is going to be what’s happening in Iraq. I believe the economy is doing well. I think it could get better, but lots of surprises out on the horizon, and what is going to happen with Iraq, what is going to happen with the world situation, that could be the bigger problem that President Bush has.
Matthews: What is the economic impact? Is it the cost factor of about $100 billion a year for the military and the rebuilding, is that the cost, or is it psychological?
Trump: Well, I think it’s psychological. It is also tremendous amounts of money being pumped into Iraq. I mean, you look at states like New York and California, where they can`t afford school systems, and we are giving $87 billion to Iraq and that is just the beginning. So, you know, it is a tremendous cost to this country, what’s gone on there, and again, we are getting some very, very unpleasant surprises in Iraq, and hopefully something is going to be done about it quickly.
Matthews: This was an elective war. The president thought we had to do it. He made a judgment call. He took us into Iraq. Do you think he will reconsider that judgment as the costs rise?
Trump: I don’t think he is going to. He is a very committed guy, he’s committed to that whole situation and I don’t think he will really reconsider. I don’t think he probably can at this point. Other people will, and you are going to find out at the polls whether or not those other people are right. I mean, you see more and more doves, if you call them doves. The question is whether or not we should have been in Iraq in the first place. I don’t think that this president can do anything about that. He is really — he is on a course that has to stay.
Matthews: Let me ask you about the Democrats. I have noticed a slight — or other people have noticed a slight shift in direction. Instead of whacking him on the economy, which is starting to look like his strong suit, they are shifting to the war. Is that smart?
Trump: Well, I think that’s the only thing they can do. I mean, the economy is good. New York City is having its best year ever perhaps in real estate. That is a very big indication. In California real estate, where I have a lot, same thing. I mean, the country is starting to do well, so I think the whole shift is going to be very much toward the war.
Dec. 15, 2003: Neil Cavuto of Fox Business interviews Trump two days after the capture of Iraq President Saddam Hussein. Hussein was captured on Dec. 13, 2003, a Saturday when the markets were closed. Trump says Hussein’s capture was a “great thing” for the country, but he mentions that “a lot of people [are] questioning” the wisdom of going to war with Iraq in the first place.
Read full on FactCheck
Below is a video from 2007
