President Trump tells Maria Bartiromo he decided to bomb Syria while eating 'the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake'
President Trump spoke with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo in a wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday morning, touching on topics like Syria and health care. In the segment, he told Bartiromo the back-story to the missile strike launched last week at a Syrian airfield in retaliation for a chemical attack that killed dozens of Syrian civilians, for which the White House has blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Trump was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida while the mission was executed, and he told Bartiromo about the moment he informed Xi that he had sent 59 Tomahawk missiles hurtling toward Syria. "We had finished dinner. We're now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen," Trump says, noting "President Xi was enjoying it."
That's when Trump gave the military orders to execute the launch, he says, and informed his Chinese counterpart of the move. Watch him tell Bartiromo the whole story — and be corrected by her on which country the missiles targeted — below. Kimberly Alters
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published