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President Donald Trump, who has continued to ramp up the rhetoric against North Korea, tweeted in 2012 that President Barack Obama will “have to start a war or major conflict” to win a second term in office because of his bad poll numbers. The tweet is earning attention in light of Trump’s own poor poll numbers during the ongoing dispute with North Korea.
“Polls are starting to look really bad for Obama. Looks like he’ll have to start a war or major conflict to win. Don’t put it past him,” Trump tweeted on October 17, 2012.
Polls are starting to look really bad for Obama. Looks like he’ll have to start a war or major conflict to win. Don’t put it past him!
The tweet was sent less than a month before the 2012 presidential election, which ended with Obama beating Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Obama won with 51.1 percent of the popular vote and 322 electoral votes. He was only the second president ever to win a second term with less electoral college votes.
Today, Trump is also facing poor poll numbers. On August 9, a Politico/Morning Consult poll showed that only 40 percent of registered voters approved of Trump’s performance. Only 18 percent of those polled “strongly” approve of Trump’s performance.
Rasmussen Reports, a poll Trump himself has cited on Twitter, shows 45 percent of likely U.S. voters approve of his performance. The Gallup Poll shows Trump’s approval rating at just 36 percent.
Earlier Friday, Trump tweeted, “Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path.” That followed his statement on Tuesday that North Korea can expect “fire and fury” if it continues to make threats. On Thursday, Trump told the media that he thought his “fire and fury” comment might not have been strong enough.
“Frankly, the people questioning that statement, was it too tough, maybe it wasn’t tough enough. They’ve been doing this to our country a long time, for many years. And it’s about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and the people of other countries,” Trump said Thursday while he is on a “working” vacation. “So if anything, maybe that statement wasn’t tough enough and we’re backed by 100 percent by our military, we’re backed by everybody. And we’re backed by many other leaders. I noticed that many senators and others came out today very much in favor of what I said. But if anything that statement may not be tough enough.”
As for North Korea, its government has threatened to launch missiles that will land just off the coast of Guam, the tiny U.S. territory that is home to major American military bases in the Pacific. Guam is 2,200 miles from North Korea.
