President Trump should change his campaign kickoff speech and instead brief the country about his plans toward Iran, the Senate’s top Democrat said Tuesday, saying the president has left everyone confused.
“It’s not just senators. All the American people are scratching their heads, what the heck is going on,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, told reporters.
Mr. Trump will jet to Florida for a Tuesday evening rally to officially launch his 2020 reelection bid, and Mr. Schumer predicted he will focus heavily on the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, after a late-night presidential tweet promising mass deportations.
But Mr. Schumer said it would be better to scratch the politics and talk about big policy issues such as infrastructure, health care and Iran, where tensions are growing with the U.S. accusing the Islamic Republic of attacks on oil shipping.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chided Democrats on Tuesday for rejecting a closed-door briefing from the State Department on the ongoing situation.
Mr. Schumer confirmed that move. He said a briefing wasn’t a substitute for hearing from the president.
Mr. Schumer said Iran does need to be confronted, but he said it’s up to the president to make clear his framework for approaching the matter.
“The policy in Iran has been erratic and opaque,” he said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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