‘i Wish I Did What You Did’: Former Us Presidential Aides Dispute Trump’s Repeated Claim He Spoke To One Of Them On Iran

Every azygous erstwhile U.S. president still live has rubbished Donald Trump's declare that astatine slightest 1 of them secretly approves of his progressively chaotic warfare against Iran.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump claimed astatine slightest 3 times that 1 of his predecessors had told him down nan scenes that they wished they could person done what he is doing.

"I’ve spoken to a definite president, who I like, actually," Trump insisted. "A past president, a erstwhile president. He said, 'I wish I did it.' But they didn't do it. I'm doing it."

Trump refused to beryllium drawn connected who it was, saying: "I can’t show you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would beryllium very bad for his career, moreover though he’s sewage nary career."

But representatives of each 4 surviving erstwhile presidents person flatly denied nan communicative to aggregate media outlets.

A spokesperson for Bill Clinton told The Independent that nary specified speech had taken spot betwixt nan 2 men.

Representatives for George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden said likewise to CNN, NBC News and the Associated Press. The Independent has besides asked representatives of each 3 for comment.

It comes aft an embarrassing time for nan Trump management arsenic NATO friends many times garbage to subordinate nan war, contempt Trump's pleading — aft years of denouncing nan alliance and threatening to break its governing treaty.

Thirteen U.S. work members and reportedly more than a 1000 Iranian civilians person been killed truthful far, while nan captious Strait of Hormuz remains efficaciously closed to world shipping, driving nan value of lipid skywards.

"For 47 years, nary president was consenting to do what I’m doing," Trump claimed during remarks astatine nan White House Monday.

Later that day, successful nan Oval Office, he repeated his declare astir a erstwhile president voicing support for his decisions, while again refusing to corroborate who it was.

"I don't want to say. I don't want to say... I don't want to get him into trouble," Trump said. "It’s personification that happens to for illustration me... that personification is simply a smart person."

He went on: "But that personification said 'I wish I did it,' okay? But I don’t want to get into who. I don’t want to get him into trouble."

Asked by Fox News newsman Peter Doocy if it would beryllium imaginable to guess, Trump said: "Yeah, I deliberation you astir apt know... possibly he'd moreover beryllium proud?” The president went connected to corroborate he was not referring to George W. Bush.

The White House did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.