(CNN)President Donald Trump issued a furious, all-caps challenge to the Iranian regime late Sunday night, warning that any threats to the US would be met with unspecified dire consequences.
Anticipating blowback from everyone for his ill-considered, hare-brained threat to Iraq last night, President Trump immediately walked it back. After pressure from all White House staff including John Kelly and two unnamed kitchen staff members Trump tweeted at 9am EST: “Sometimes, I meant some of the time, not never, threaten the United States, or something might possibly happen...after the mid-terms.”
In a separate statement the President’s National Security Advisor Dan Coats walked back the following statement he had made:
"My admittedly awkward response [to the President’ announced invite to Putin to come to D.C.] was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticize the actions of the President," Coats said.
Coats corrected that statement, saying: “My awkward statement was indeed meant to be disrespectful to and to criticize the actions of the President. I did not mean to say what I said or say what I meant, since I find him appalling one hundred percent.”