Trump calls his decision to authorize Soleimani strike 'bold and decisive'

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump was his own hype man during a campaign rally Thursday night in Toledo, Ohio.

He praised his decision to authorize the airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week, calling it a "bold and decisive action." Trump accused Soleimani of "looking very seriously at our embassies. We stopped him quickly and we stopped him cold." The Trump administration has not publicly released any evidence showing Soleimani was planning an imminent attack against a U.S. embassy.

In response to Soleimani's death, Iran on Tuesday launched more than a dozen missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Trump said he "didn't do anything" to retaliate because there were no casualties. "Lots of people got very lucky," he added.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.