Trump 'wants to go BACK TO WAR’: Haass SLAMS Trump telling Vance to shift focus AWAY from Iran deal

vance to shift his focus away from the war. and onto what trump says. is crime in DEMOCRATIC-RUN AREAS. THE PRESIDENT POSTING ON TRUE SOCIAL QUOTE, WE DON'T NEED A DEAL WITH IRAN. THOSE DAYS HAVE LONG SINCE PASSED. WE'VE GOT THEIR MONEY, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF. DOLLARS AND. WE'VE GOT THEIR straight. Despite Trump's claims, of course, this trade of Hormuz remains contested. with the British military saying. at least two tankers were struck just. in the last few days.

This all comes after The Wall Street. Journal. reported earlier this week that Vance, who had blamed the war. for Republican midterm losses, was considering face-to-face talks. with a top Iranian security official. in an effort to end the conflict. Let's bring in our panel, President Emeritus of the. Council. on Foreign Relations, Richard Haass. He's the author of The Substack Home and Away. Also staff writer for The Atlantic. and Applebaum. The fourth season of her podcast Autocracy. in America debuted this week. And also with us the former Supreme Allied Commander of.

NATO. and retired four-star Navy Admiral. James Stavridis. He's the author of the new book, The Turning Tide, a novel of love and war. We'll get to that in just a moment. Admiral, let me just start with you when you have the. president. of the United States telling his vice president, stop focusing on getting a deal. We're well past that. What do you even take that. to mean? Who knows? I suspect it's a. combination of J .D. Vance wanting to shift his focus.

and the president just wanting to push. him off to the side in this. Look, this is a tale of two blockades. The Iranians are attempting to blockade. the right to the side of the street. I've sailed through it 80 times plus. It's a tough navigational detail when you are. not getting shot at. Don't have mines in the water. Don't have drones overhead. So contested, Willie, is the right. IT'S NOT OPEN IN ANY PRE-WAR.

SENSE BUT AT LEAST THERE IS A FLOW. THROUGH THERE SO BLOCK ADMINISTRATION, BLOCKADE NUMBER ONE VERY LEAKY. BLOCKADE NUMBER TWO LITTLE TALKED ABOUT. IS THE BLOCKADE. IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD. SO I THINK WHERE THE PRESIDENT HAS LANDED HERE. IS HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO FULL-ON WAR. HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO HE DOESN'T WANT. I DON'T WANT TO LITERALLY JUST WALK AWAY. I'M SURE BOTH THOSE OPTIONS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED. IN THE SITUATION ROOM.

I THINK WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO HERE IS TRY AND, IF YOU. IT'S A BIG COUNTRY, BIG LAND BORDERS, THEY'RE VERY RESOURCEFUL IN HOW THEY. DEAL WITH ECONOMIC CHALLENGES. UNCLEAR WHETHER THIS I THINK THIS IS. GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND CERTAINLY NO. QUICK RESOLUTION HERE. SO SOME OF THAT LINES UP WITH. THE REPORTING I'VE HAD THIS WEEK WHERE, RICHARD, CERTAINLY THE WHITE HOUSE DOES. THINK I THINK THE ECONOMIC PRESSURE. CAMPAIGN IS WORKING, THOUGH THEY.

ACKNOWLEDGE IT'S GOING TO TAKE A VERY LONG TIME. THE PRESIDENT DESPITE HAVING PLANS ON HIS DESK. FOR WEEKS NOW SEEMS TO NOT REALLY HAVE AN. APPETITE TO GO BACK TO FULL-ON. ON THE MIDTERM, SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF. INCENTIVE ON. THEIR END EITHER. WHAT'S YOUR READ AS TO WHAT'S GOING ON? GOING ON? There's nothing new under the sun here. The president wants to go back to war, but there's no way it's going to work. It's not going to bring about capitulation,

not going to bring about regime change in none. of the local states, the Saudis, the NONE HAVE ANY APPETITE FOR NEW. WAR BECAUSE IRAN WILL RETALIATE AGAINST THEM. SO IT'S THAT SIMPLE. NEGOTIATIONS ARE. UNCOMFORTABLE. THE MOU THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION SIGNED IN. JUNE IS A TERRIBLE DOCUMENT. THE IRANI THE BASELINES HAVE MADE THAT THE. BASELINE. IF YOU WANT A DEAL, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EAT. A LOT OF CROW. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? WHAT WE HAVE NOW, THE STATUS CROW, IT'S THE LEAST BAD OPTION BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO. DAVE, THE IRANIANS ARE GOING TO LAST. ONE, IT TAKES AN AWFUL LOT OF U .S.

MILITARY FORCES TO KEEP IT IN SHAPE. ALSO, IF IT EVER BEGINS TO BITE, GUESS WHAT? THE IRANIANS ARE GOING to reintroduce. military force. So this is not a permanent answer. I don't know if we're talking days or weeks. or most another month or two, this can't work. So sooner or later, Jonathan, we're going to be back and the administration's. going to have to decide whether to use force. WHICH IS GOING TO BE NO MORE APPETIZING OR. WHETHER TO SIGN A DEAL WITH THE IRANIANS. ON THE STRAIGHT THAT'S GOING TO FORCE US TO. MAKE CONCESSIONS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE. SO THIS IS JUST THE STALLING APTION.

THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS ALTERNATIVE. IT'S COSTLY BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THE U .S. NAVY AND MILITARY IS PARKED THERE, AND THAT MAKES NO SENSE STRATEGICALLY. YEAH, THAT'S COSTING SOMETHING. LIKE $50 MILLION A DAY. OKAY, LET'S TURN TO ANOTHER THAT'S A NEW REPORT OUT. THAT'S. RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER. PERSONAL CONNECTIONS HELPED A. KEY TRUMP ALLY SECURE A DEAL TO. SELL VENEZUELAN OIL. NEW REPORT OUT THAT'S I DON'T THINK IT'S. A COMPANY CALLED VITAL, JOHN ADDISON,

WHO WAS ALSO AN EARLY FINANCIAL BACKER. OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, J .D. VANCE, RECEIVED A. IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A LITTLE. CALL FROM ENERGY SECRETARY CHRIS. WRIGHT JUST TWO DAYS AFTER THE U .S. OPERATION THAT CAPTURED VENEZUELAN. LEADER NICOLAS MADURO WITHIN DAYS VITAL. RECEIVED A SPECIAL LICENSE to market Venezuelan crude, which has generated hundreds of millions. of dollars in estimated profits. The Reuters report also details an alleged. meeting between Vance and Addison. in Montana one week before the OPERATION IN.

VENEZUELA. DURING WHICH THEY ALLEGEDLY DISCUSS HOW QUICKLY THE. COUNTRY'S. OIL COULD BE SOLD IF THE U .S. GAINED CONTROL OF SUPPLIES, BOTH MEN DENY THAT THAT. MEETING TOOK PLACE, DEMOCRATS ON THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ARE. QUESTIONING WHETHER POLITICAL CONNECTIONS. INFLUENCED WHO RECEIVED THE CONTRACT AND IF. OIL TRADERS HAD ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE. OF THE MILITARY OPERATION AND YOU'VE WRITTEN A. LOT ABOUT VENEZUELA THIS IS A KIND OF ALMOST A. FANTASTIC SPY STORY BECAUSE THEY'VE NOW GOT.

THE FLIGHT TRACKING PATTERNS OF J .D. VANCE'S PRIVATE JET AND THIS GUY JOHN ADDISON'S. PRIVATE JET AND THEY DO SEEM TO HAVE BEEN AT. BOZEMAN AIRPORT ON THE SAME DAY AT THE SAME. TIME BUT MAYBE THEY DIDN'T DISCUSS VENEZUELA. AT ALL THAT JUST HAPPENED HOW DOES THIS PLAY. INTO YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE REPERCUSSIONS OF. VENEZUELA WAS SNATCHED THE VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WAS. ACTUALLY.

OVERJOYED BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT. THAT THE PURPOSE WAS TO. ESTABLISH A DEMOCRACY IN VENEZUELA. WHEN I WAS THERE IN SEPTEMBER, THOSE HOPES HAD ALREADY DIED QUITE. SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE WHAT IT. LOOKS LIKE NOW IS THAT THE U .S. IS ENGAGED IN. IT'S LIKE A MEETING OF TWO KLEPTOCRACIES. THAT THE U .S. HAS KEPT DELCIA RODRIGUEZ, THE MADURO VICE PRESIDENT. IN CHARGE. IN ORDER PRECISELY TO DO.

THE FACT THAT THE PENTAGON, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S. PENTAGON. IS ALLEGEDLY OR NOT ALLEGEDLY. OR NOT ALLEGEDLY HAS SIGNED A. CONTRACT WITH I WAS IN A RECORD WITH A. VENEZUELAN OIL COMPANY RUN BY. A CRONY OF THE PREVIOUS REGIME,

A CHAVISTA CRONY WHO IS A WELL-KNOWN, WIDELY. THAT HAS ALSO HAPPENED. THERE IS A SERIES OF UNCLEAR. THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED, DETAILS ARE NOT KNOWN AND THIS IS JUST. ANOTHER ELEMENT TO THE I MEAN, WHY ARE WE, WHAT IS THE U .S. PUBLIC INTEREST IN OUR ROLE IN VENEZUELA? WHY IS IT GOOD FOR AMERICANS? AND THE ANSWER MIGHT BE THAT IT'S NOT. IT'S GOOD FOR PEOPLE AROUND DONALD TRUMP AND J .D.

VANS. SO ADMIRAL AND DOES A GOOD JOB. OF WALKING THROUGH THE DETAILS OF THAT. STORY BUT TO HER LARGER POINT OF WHY. VENEZUELA IF YOU GO THROUGH THE TIMELINE. OF OUR MILITARY DOING A COMPLETELY CLEAN. JOB OF GOING IN AND TAKING MADURO OPERAM. BACK HERE IN THE UNITED STATES TO FACE CHARGES. TO WHAT END? WELL, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID OUT LOUD IT'S TO. GET THE OIL. SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS STORY IN TOTALITY. OF TAKE A LOOK AT THE PARTICIPANTS OF VENEZUELA. I THINK IT REAKS OF CORRUPTION AND PEOPLE. CORRECTLY IDENTIFY ME AS THE NATO GUY.

AND THE I SPENT OVER THREE YEARS AS. SUPREME ALLIES COMMANDER OF NATO. BEFORE THAT, I SPENT OVER THREE YEARS AS. COMMANDER OF U .S. SOUTHERN I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CAPITOL IN. LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. EXCEPT CUBA'S CAPITOL. SO AT THE BOTTOM LINE, TO ADDITION TO ANN'S POINTS, THE GRUMBLING YOU YOU HEAR THE DISENCHANTMENT YOU HEAR. FROM ALL AROUND THE REGION. PEOPLE CARRIED NO BRIEF FOR NICHOLAS MADURO.

HE'S A THUG AND OUGHT TO FACE JUSTICE. AND PEOPLE REALIZE THAT. IT'S A LOT LIKE THE BAD OLD DAYS. OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE AND. APPROPRIATION OF OIL AND THAT IS NOT LANDING WELL. SO WE'VE GOT A POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY STORY. YOU'VE ALSO GOT I THINK A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL. CREDIBILITY SCENARIO HERE.

AND AND TO WRAP IT UP, AS ANN SAYS, WE NEED TO GET TO ELECTIONS. AND MARIA MACHADO, THE NOBEL PRIZE LAWREETTE. IS IN COUNTRY. IF THE ADMINISTRATION WERE SMART, THEY THEY WOULD GET THAT OPPOSITION PARTY, HOPEFULLY LED BY MARIA MACHADO IN MY. VIEW AND RUN AN ELECTION. I THINK MARIA MACHADO WOULD BARRY DELCIO. RODRIGUEZ, NOT LITERALLY, FORTUNATELY, BUT IN THE ELECTION.

HEY, ANN APPLEBAUM, JOHN HEILMAN HERE. I'M EXCITED FOR THE NEW SEASON OF AUTOCRACY IN. AMERICA AND I'M CURIOUS about how the results. of last Tuesday's midterms kind. of changed the focus for the podcast. With Trump and ascendance in the last two years, the question of autocracy in America. and the threat of it obviously was front. and center. And, and made your podcast not only necessary, but kind of indispensable. It's different now as we see Trump weakened. in various ways. And, and I'm curious about how you are kind.

of adapting to the new reality in, in D .C.? So in my view, one of the central issues. in the last election, it's not just my view. polls show it to be true, was the weakness. of democracy, the disenchantment. that voters feel with the political class. There saying that they're understanding. that corruption is widespread, their desire to get money out of politics. Their understanding there's something wrong. with the American voting system. Why do people wait in lines to vote in America? Why is it so difficult to register to VOTE,

THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN OTHER DEMOCRACIES. AND SO THIS SEASON I WANT TO FOCUS THE PODCAST. ON WHAT CAN BE FIXED. ARE WE AT A POST WATERGATE MOMENT WHEN REALLY BIG. QUESTIONS CAN BE. THE ELECTORAL PROCESS, HOW DO WE MAKE THE. ELECTORAL PROCESS. HOW DO WE MAKE THE ELECTORAL. PROCESS MORE FAIR? HOW DO WE PUT VOTERS BACK AT THE CENTER. OF POLITICS? IT'S ALSO NOT AN ACCIDENT I THINK. THAT THE DATA CENTERS WERE SUCH A BIG. ISSUE IN THIS ELECTION. IT'S NOT JUST THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T. LIKE THESE BIG HUGE SUPER COMPUTERS BEING. THRUST ON TOP OF THEM WITHOUT CONSULTATION,

IT'S ALSO THAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO. UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE A FEW PEOPLE, A TINY NUMBER OF PEOPLE. WHO CONTROL SO MUCH OF WHAT WE SEE, SO MUCH OF WHAT WE WE TALK ABOUT, THEY CONTROL SO MUCH OF THE ECONOMY, THESE TECH. OLIGARCHS. THEY'RE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE IN. ANY WAY BY AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. I THINK PEOPLE WANT THAT CHANGED. AND SO I'M ASKING EVERYBODY HOW DO WE DO.