President Trump on Sunday pushed back at criticism for declaring “mission accomplished” after approving airstrikes with the United Kingdom and France against Syrian chemical weapons production facilities.
“The Syrian raid was so perfectly carried out, with such precision, that the only way the Fake News Media could demean was by my use of the term ‘Mission Accomplished,’ ” he tweeted.
“I knew they would seize on this but felt it is such a great Military term, it should be brought back. Use often!”
{mosads}Trump tweeted Saturday that it was a “perfectly executed strike.”
“Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!” Trump tweeted.
“So proud of our great Military which will soon be, after the spending of billions of fully approved dollars, the finest that our Country has ever had. There won’t be anything, or anyone, even close!” he added in another tweet.
Trump caught flak for using the phrase “mission accomplished,” which gained notoriety after former President George W. Bush gave a 2003 speech to declare the end of major U.S. combat operations in Iraq with a banner featuring the phrase displayed behind him. Despite the declaration, the U.S. military has stayed involved in Iraq to this day.
Trump announced late Friday during a televised address at the White House that he had ordered “precision strikes” on targets in Syria associated with the government of Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
The strikes targeted three sites near the capital of Damascus and in Homs, roughly 100 miles north of the Syrian capital.
U.S. defense officials on Saturday said they were still conducting a detailed assessment of the effectiveness of the strikes but characterized them as a success.