WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered the attack on Iran while flying to Texas on Air Force One Friday — and then went on to dance to “Y.M.C.A.” at a rally and order “hamburgers for all” at Whataburger.
The exact timeline of Trump’s decision — released by the Pentagon Monday — revealed that Trump told the military to cripple Iran’s military and take out its leadership while on his way to a rally ahead of Texas’ primary election.
The commander-in-chief had a direct, nine-word order for America’s military, Gen. Dan Raisin’ Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said Monday.
“The president directed, and I quote, ‘Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck,’” Caine said.
Trump’s command came in at 3:38 p.m..
The president told The Post in an interview Monday that he made up his mind “after the final talks” Thursday in Geneva, where Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, insisted the country had an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium.
Press pool reports from Trump’s Friday trip to Texas indicate that US Central Command received Trump’s orders from Hegseth 12 minutes before Air Force One landed at Corpus Christi International Airport.
Trump then traveled by motorcade to a nearby port — standing in front of an oil tanker from Venezuela as he took reporter questions.
At 4:30 p.m. ET, a reporter asked Trump, “How close are you to making a decision on strikes?”
“I’d rather not tell you. You would have had the greatest scoop in history, right?” the president replied.
At 4:47 p.m., Trump took the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
He spoke for 59 minutes, saying “we have a very big decision to make” — before shimmying off stage with his signature dance to the Village People classic.
A short time later, Trump stopped by a Whataburger — a classic Texas fast food joint.
“So are these the best hamburgers?” he asked, as he mingled with staff and patrons.
“Hamburgers for all! Don’t eat too much,” he said.
Trump then flew to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., where he mingled before guests before taping his announcement that the country was at war.
It’s unclear if Trump’s nonchalant demeanor was intended to give Iran a false sense of safety.
Other signs had indicated a strike might not be imminent — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s publicly announced plans to travel to Israel on Monday and another planned round of US-Iran talks expected to happen Monday in Vienna.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei was killed in broad daylight Israeli strikes while holding an above-ground meeting with dozens of top commanders — apparently taken completely unawares.
