Donald Trump said that the president will start a war with Iran because the president has absolutely no ability to negotiate

Fact-Check Analysis:

• Donald Trump did say these exact words in 2011, when he was a private citizen, not president¹
• However, Trump was referring to President Barack Obama, not himself or any other president¹
• The full quote context was: Trump accused Obama of being "weak and ineffective" and claimed "the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected... is to start a war with Iran"¹
• The quote resurfaced in January 2020 after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, as critics pointed out the irony of Trump having made this statement about Obama¹
• Obama did not start a war with Iran and won reelection in 2012; the Iran nuclear agreement was signed in 2015¹

Overall validity: 15%