Trump tangles with reporter on Iran preemptive strike: ‘Is that a serious question?’

President-elect Trump tangled with a reporter who asked him Monday if he would entertain the idea of preemptive strikes on Iran.

Trump, following remarks at Mar-a-Lago, took questions from the media, and one reporter asked if he would target Iran’s nuclear facilities,

“Well I can’t tell you that. I mean, it’s a wonderful question, but how can I – am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that?” the president-elect responded.

“Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, ‘That was strange that he answered that way.’ Am I going to do preemptive strikes on Iran? Is that a serious question? How could I answer a question like that?” Trump continued. 

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President-elect Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The reporter then asked if Trump would be in support of Israel striking Iran. 

“How could I tell you a thing like that now?” Trump responded. “You don’t talk about that before something may or may not happen. I don’t want to insult you, I just think it’s just not something that I would ever answer. Having to do with there or any other place in the world.” 

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Trump fielded questions from reporters on Monday, Dec. 16, after announcing alongside Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank, a $100 billion investment in the U.S. to create 100,000 new American jobs. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

“We’re trying to help very strongly and getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East,” Trump added Monday. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks after casting his ballot in Tehran on July 5, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

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“We’re working very much on that. We’re trying to get the war stopped, that horrible, horrible war that’s going on in Ukraine with Russia. We’re going to, we’ve got a little progress. It’s a tough one. It’s a nasty one. It’s nasty,” he also said.