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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A video of President Donald Trump warning in 2011 that then-President Barack Obama would start a war with Iran because "he’s weak and he’s ineffective" has resurfaced online.
The clip was shared to Reddit by u/Yujin-Ha. It was originally recorded as part of the "From the Desk of Donald Trump" series of over 80 vlogs posted to YouTube from 2011 to 2014.
The majority of these videos are no longer available on Trump’s YouTube account; however, this clip has been uploaded to another channel, Roll Call Factbase Videos, seven years ago, where it has now been watched over 102,000 times.
Read More on On the Internet
The Reddit post highlighting Trump’s remarks over Iran in 2011 has earned over 55,000 upvotes. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment on the matter.
Why It Matters
Ultimately, Obama did not launch a military attack against Iran. Instead, his administration used a mix of economic sanctions, multilateral negotiations and diplomacy to put pressure on the country to reduce its efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
This culminated in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which saw Iran reach an agreement with the P5+1 (U.S., UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany) to curb its nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.
Though some Republicans believe Trump has "relentlessly pursued" diplomacy with Iran, others suggest that, as president, he has adopted a more adversarial approach to Iran and one in line with the strategy he predicted Obama would take in 2011, which he was critical of at the time.
What To Know
In the clip, Trump said that Obama "will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate." He added: "He's weak and he's ineffective. So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected…is to start a war with Iran."
Trump went on to say it would be "an outrage" for Obama to start a war "in order to get elected" and that Iran "can be taken down in many ways."
"I would never take the military card off the table, and it's possible that it'll have to be used because Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, but you've got to exhaust other possibilities, and we're in a great position to do it," Trump said.
The Republican added: "Unfortunately, we have a president that doesn't know the first thing about negotiation. We have a real problem in the White House, so I believe that he will attack Iran sometime prior to the election, because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected. Isn't it pathetic?"
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Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2018, arguing that it only delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions and did not address missile development or regional proxy activities. He has conducted targeted military actions in the years since, including high‑profile attacks on Iranian targets.
This has culminated in a series of coordinated U.S. and Israeli large-scale strikes on Iran that killed the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Retaliatory strikes have followed, while there is growing concern over the potential risk of even wider regional escalation.
Though Trump has served two terms and, unlike Obama in 2011, is, in theory, not seeking reelection, it has been argued that the conflict is helping shift focus away from several controversies Trump is facing at home.
Social Media Reacts To Trump's 2011 Iran Warning
On Reddit, one user commented on the resurfaced video: "Isn't it funny that he always accuses others of things he does or intends to do." Another said: "Surely we're all aware that every accusation is a confession." A third added: "Media should be airing this all over the news."
There was similar sentiment among those commenting on the YouTube clip. "This video aged like milk," one user commented. "Looks like trump decided to act on his own theory," another said. "Holy mother of projection," a third posted. Elsewhere, one new comment reads: "2026 here. I guess trump is weak according to trumps own words."
What People Are Saying
Donald Trump speaks on "From the Desk of Donald Trump" on November 16, 2011: "Now our president [Obama] will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He's weak and he's ineffective. So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected, and, as sure as you're sitting there, is to start a war with Iran. Now I'm more militant and more militaristic than the President. I believe in strength, but to start a war in order to get elected, and I believe that's going to happen, would be an outrage.
"Iran can be taken down in many ways. Their population is in turmoil. They look at what's happening in Syria and other countries where it looked like it was an impossibility, and it looks like that one's going to collapse also. So Iran can be taken. I would never take the military card off the table, and it's possible that it'll have to be used because Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, but you've got to exhaust other possibilities, and we're in a great position to do it. They know, or they at least must know, that they're in a little bit of heat, because there's a lot of pressure to attack.
"This is a great time to negotiate. Unfortunately, we have a president that doesn't know the first thing about negotiation. We have a real problem in the White House, so I believe that he will attack Iran sometime prior to the election, because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected. Isn't it pathetic?"
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