04/12/2018 06:29 am ET Updated Apr 12, 2018
Trump Makes Syria Attack Timeline Even More Confusing
"Could be very soon or not so soon at all!"
By Willa Frej
President Donald Trump on Thursday tried to regain an air of mystery surrounding a retaliatory strike on Syria, walking back the threat he made just one day before.
Trump said he never indicated when the U.S. would strike Syria in response to a deadly chemical attack over the weekend, noting that it "could be very soon or not so soon at all!"
Trump on Monday warned he would make a decision on how to respond to the Syrian government's reported chemical attack in 24 to 48 hours. He tweeted Wednesday that missiles "will be coming."
Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our "Thank you America?"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018
He also tried to steer attention away from a possible military escalation and back to the U.S. effort to root out the so-called Islamic State in Syria, which he said deserves praise.
Just last week, Trump made clear he wanted to pull out the approximately 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in Syria, saying the U.S. had spent enough money in the Middle East and had made laudable progress against ISIS. His top generals, however, indicated the pullout wasn't going to happen anytime soon
Willa Frej
Donald Trump Politics and Government Twitter Syria Chemical Attack