President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the death of Soleimani at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, January 3, 2010, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
“This will not be a Benghazi,” vowed President Trump to reporters on New Year’s Eve. “This will never, ever be a Benghazi.”
A Little History
On 4 November 1979, Iranian extremists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran:
- 66 hostages seized
- 52 hostages held for 444 days
A Military Fiasco
When Carter informed a sleepy nation at 7 a.m. that eight American servicemen had just died in a secret rescue operation, dubbed “Desert One,” it became a metaphor for a military fiasco.
Ironically, the presidential election would be held November 4, 1980, the one-year anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Iran. Carter lost 44 of 50 states to Ronald Reagan. Reagan crushed him in the popular vote, 51-41 percent, and won the Electoral College 489-49.
Trump Has Averted a Jimmy Carter Hostage Situation
No one knows, of course, how President Trump will fare in his reelection bid in November. But this much we know already: he will not be facing a hostage situation at the hands of Iranians at our embassy.
Donald Trump has averted a Benghazi, and he may have averted a Jimmy Carter as well.
Read more here.
