WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is increasingly dependent on a small group of critical inputs as he is considering whether to order US military action in Iran targeting nuclear programs, according to two defense secretaries and administration officials.
At the same time, another senior administration official said Trump is crowdsourced in his administration with many allies outside the White House and whether he thinks he should greenlight strikes in Iran.
Despite routinely asking a wider group of people what he thinks he should do, Trump has a tendency to make many decisions with just a handful of administration officials, including White House Director Susie Wills, Deputy Secretary Stephen Miller, Deputy Secretary Marco Rubio, and interim national security adviser. Trump also leaned against Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkoff.
Once he decided whether he would be directly involved in the war with Iran, Trump somehow expanded his circle, shrinking it to others. He is on the sidelines with National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard, who opposes the US strike in Iran, and has not relied on the Secretary of Defense as part of his decision-making process, according to two defense secretaries and senior administration officials.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell opposed the notion that Heggs was not involved in much.
“This claim is completely wrong. The secretary talks with the president multiple times a day every day and was with him in the situation room this week,” Parnell said in a statement. “Secretary Hegses provides the leadership that the Pentagon and our military needs, and he will continue to work diligently to support President Trump’s peace through the Agenda of Strength.”
Trump hears General Dan Kane, chairman of the Co-Statement. General Eric Kurira, US Central Commander. CIA director John Ratcliffe, two defense officials and a former administration official said.
White House press chief Caroline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether the US should be involved in the Israeli-Iran conflict.
In contrast to virtually every president since World War II, Trump, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, has carefully prepared foreign policy and military options and has not relied on high-ranking officials to discuss with him in a structured and deliberate way.
He discusses foreign policy with officials in his administration, and countless foreign leaders and contacts other than government. However, these arguments are more informal and freewheeled. As a result, two sources said there is little opportunity for officials and senior military commanders to question his assumptions or raise concerns about the course of action.
Two sources with knowledge of the issue were surprised when Trump announced that he had lifted sanctions against Syria after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month. Treasury officials were not warned that he would make such an announcement, and no technical preparations were made to take measures that required discussions with foreign banks or Syrian government officials, sources said.
Since he returned to the White House in January, Trump has expanded the National Security Council significantly. This has traditionally created policy options with other federal agencies, particularly regarding the potential military action, and outlines possible outcomes.
