If you want to have a word with the president, you don't necessarily have to go through Chief of Staff John Kelly first. Fox News guest Bassam Rifai demonstrated some clever resourcefulness Monday when he simply turned to look into the network's camera and said: "President Trump, I am speaking to you directly."
Trump is, by all appearances, an enthusiastic viewer of Fox News, with his fiery tweets often following segments on the network. Rifai, a member of the Syrian American Council, used his moment in the spotlight to advocate for military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Do not make the same mistakes that President Obama had made," Rifai said. He urged, "What we need to do right now is take out Assad's air force. If we ground all his air force, he won't have the capability to attack Syrians by the air anymore."
Trump has said he will decide within the next 24 to 48 hours how to respond to the chemical weapon attack in Syria that killed dozens over the weekend. Watch the strange Fox News moment below. Jeva Lange
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.
-
Political cartoons for October 27Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include improving national monuments, the NBA gambling scandal, and the AI energy vampire
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
