WASHINGTON — White House officials declined to clarify remarks this week by President Donald Trump hinting at looming military action against U.S. adversaries, saying only that the commander in chief is keeping all of his options open.
On Thursday, at a reception with the families of senior military leaders, Trump invited reporters into a photo op and announced the moment “could be the calm, the calm before the storm.”
When asked for further clarification, Trump responded “you’ll find out.”
The move came a few hours after the president in a separate event with military officials said he expected them to provide him “a broad range of military options, when needed, at a much faster pace. I know that government bureaucracy is slow, but I am depending on you to overcome the obstacles of bureaucracy.”
Trump did not specify any country or threat, but did say “we’re ridding our world of terrorism and terrorists as much as it can be done.”
In an event Friday, Trump declined to provide further explanation. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also deflected repeated questions on the issue.
“We’re never going to say in advance what the president is going to do,” she said. “As he said, you’re going to have to wait and see.”
Sanders said the request for faster delivery of military options was not in reference to any specific threat. She also dismissed questions on whether the comments meant the president feels foreign diplomatic efforts have been worthless of late.
“We’re continuing to put maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on countries like North Korea,” she said. “But at the same time, we are keeping all options on the table.”
When asked why the president would offer hints about coming military responses, Sanders replied “I don’t believe he did.”
Trump’s cryptic messages come amid rising tensions with North Korea, Iran and Russia, and amid sustained threats from terrorist groups in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Also, on Wednesday, four U.S. servicemembers were killed in an ambush in Niger, where about 1,000 American troops are currently deployed.
Pentagon officials announced the deaths of the first three Army Green Berets on Thursday, and on Friday White House officials confirmed a fourth soldier’s body had been recovered later. White House officials said they have been kept up to date on the ambush and operations there.
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Sanders would not discuss whether any retaliatory strikes are planned for that country.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly chastised then-President Barack Obama for announcing too many military moves in advance, possibly giving extra information to enemy fighters. Sanders said White House policy is not to repeat that mistake.
“(The president) certainly doesn’t want to lay out his game plan for our enemies,” she said. “He’s not trying to throw people off, but he’s not trying to broadcast his actions.”
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
