Unless you watched Pete Hegseth on Maria Bartiromo’s FOX show on Sunday, you may be puzzled by the title of this article. Maria asked Mr. Hegseth to provide an update on negotiations with Iran. Here is his response:
I CAN TELL YOU THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DEAD SERIOUS ON THIS ISSUE. HE’S DEAD SERIOUS THAT IRAN CANNOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. HE’S SAID THAT FOR 20 YEARS. HE’S BEEN CONSISTENT, THAT IS CLEAR. HE’S DEAD SERIOUS THAT HE WANTS IT DONE PEACEFULLY AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, AND THAT’S WHY HE’S GOING STRAIGHT TO THESE TALKS. HE SET THAT DEADLINE. THESE WERE PRODUCTIVE TALKS YESTERDAY.
I DON’T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF OUR SKIS, BUT IT WAS A GOOD STEP, AND THEY’RE GOING TO GO AT IT AGAIN ON SATURDAY BUT HE’S ALSO DEAD SERIOUS IF WE CAN’T FIGURE THIS OUT AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, THEN THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS TO INCLUDE MY DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT IRAN NEVER HAS A NUCLEAR BOMB.
Clearly, Hegseth is not an English major. His vocabulary is, to be kind, a bit limited… I’m dead serious about that. (Sorry, I could not resist the temptation to ridicule his repeated use of the phrase, dead serious.) He also struggled to use the correct idiom, i.e., getting out over our skis, choosing instead to say, get ahead of our skis. If you are wondering if Mr. Hegseth is a gifted intellectual, I believe the transcript of his response (see above) provides sufficient evidence for you to draw an accurate conclusion.
Which brings me to Donald Trump and his invention of history. During another impromptu press conference in the Oval office, Mr. Trump was asked the following question:
Are you considering additional sanctions against Russia after their latest attack? Can you give a time frame?
President Trump responded:
Well, I already have sanctions against Russia. I introduced them. If you remember, Nord Stream 2, that’s the big gas pipeline that goes through Europe. I stopped it. It’s a Russian gas pipeline, the largest, I think, in the world, that goes to Germany.
Clean up in aisle 3! Let’s review the facts. During Donald Trump’s first administration, he did not stop he Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Despite bipartisan calls for sanctions, his administration hesitated to act until Congress mandated sanctions in December 2019, as part of a defense bill. These sanctions targeted companies involved in constructing the pipeline, such as Allseas Group, which subsequently suspended its pipe-laying activities.
But, these actions did not prevent the pipeline from going into operation… it was already 90% complete by that time. Critics argued that the sanctions were insufficient to halt the project entirely, merely delaying its progress. Earlier in his presidency, he allowed exemptions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that shielded Nord Stream 2 from broader sanctions, further enabling its advancement.
Although Trump publicly opposed Nord Stream 2, citing concerns about Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and its implications for NATO unity, his administration’s efforts were reactive rather than proactive, which allowed the pipeline to be completed in September 2021. The pipeline was physically finished and ready for use, but Germany halted the certification process on February 22, 2022, following the start of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO).
Trump did not stop it. Joe Biden did that. In September 2022, according to Seymour Hersh, a group of CIA operators deployed and detonated an explosive charge that affected both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. Specifically, three out of the four pipeline lines were ruptured by underwater explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It was Nord Stream 1 that provided Germany with inexpensive gas. It is now kaput. However, one line of Nord Stream 2 is still intact and could be made operational. I wonder if Germany has a renewed interest in purchasing inexpensive gas from Russia?
I belabor this point to remind you that Trump is prone to make inaccurate, even false claims, in many of his pronouncements. I am sure he genuinely believes that he is making a truthful remark. He just does not take the time to educate himself on the facts. I am dead serious.
I discussed the latest developments surrounding Steve Witkoff’s negotiation with Iran with Nima and Judge Napolitano today.
Is it just me, or is DJT mis-stating or mis-quoting himself all over the place? He’s bloviated so much, he can’t remember what he’s said regarding whomever the “ne’er do well of the moment” happens to be when he asked. I just cannot understand why he hasn’t ended the Starlink over Ukraine and cut them off completely from any money or weapons yet. Hey Mr President, I thought you were going to end this war in 24 hours if you were elected?? It’s been almost 100 days!! And you’ve surrounded yourself with rabid neocons all in favor of supporting Israel in their genocide of the Palestinians. You’ve let BIBI the BUTCHER control OUR GOVERNMENT!! WTF IS GOING ON??!! Hegseth is just ONE of these neocons!!! We’ve got to start pushing back against this situation or we’ll be just as complicit. And what’s with that imbecile KELLY?? That jackass WANTS a nuclear war!! Witcoff goes and meets with President Putin for FOUR HOURS and gets some good things in place and before he’s out of the country, IDIOT KELLY has undone ALMOST ALL OF IT!!!
Thanks for correcting the getting out over your Skis saying. You start out over your Skis and end up getting out over your Skis just before face planting or head planting.