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Reuters President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iranian general Qassem Soleimani should have been “taken out” years ago.
President Donald Trump on Friday said Iranian general Qassem Soleimani should have been killed years ago, as 2020 Democrats charged that the commander’s death could spark a major Middle East conflict.
In a series of tweets, Trump said Soleimani was plotting to kill more Americans “but got caught!” The president said the general “should have been taken out many years ago!” The president has been spending the holiday in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The killing in Baghdad of the Iranian military leader sparked a selloff in U.S. equities, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.54% falling more than 300 points at the open, but stocks recoveredsomewhat in late-morning trading. Oil prices CLG20, +2.35% BRNH20, +2.97% surged.
Now read: Why the oil market rally on elevated U.S.-Iran tensions may be short lived.
As the first nominating contests of the U.S. 2020 election primary season approach, Democrats including frontrunner Joe Biden were quick to criticize Trump’s action. “We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East,” said Biden, a two-time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
See: 2020 Democrats charge Trump is risking major Middle East conflict with Soleimani killing.
Late Friday afternoon, Trump is scheduled to speak at the launch of the Evangelicals for Trump Coalition, in Miami.
