Former national security adviser John Bolton said President Donald Trump is likely “back in a panic mode” on Friday after Iran shot down two U.S. military fighter jets less than 48 hours after he assured the American people that the U.S. had air supremacy over the region.
Bolton joined CNN’s “The Source” and was asked by host Kaitlan Collins if the incidents undermine White House’s credibility, as Trump claimed Tuesday in his national address that Iran has “no anti-aircraft equipment” and that their radar capabilities were “100% annihilated.”
“Sure, it absolutely degrades White House credibility,” Bolton said Friday. “And that’s a self-inflicted wound by the White House, not by the Iranians. If you overstate what you’ve accomplished and evidence comes that shows that you’ve overstated, you look foolish.”
Trump said during his Tuesday address that the U.S. is “unstoppable as a military force” and has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.” He added that “the hard part is done,” and that the U.S. has Iran “under intense satellite surveillance and control.”
On Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard shot down an F-15 fighter jet, forcing the two-person crew to eject. One pilot was rescued, but the other is now officially missing in Iran. The country has also shot down an A-10 Warthog, whose pilot was safely rescued.
