Trump Open To Formally Declaring War On ISIS

The last time the United States formally declared war was June 5, 1942, when Congress passed a declaration of war against Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania – then Axis powers. Since then, the conflicts the U.S. has engaged, from Korea to Vietnam, to both Iraq wars, to even the current fights in Syria and Libya, have been congressionally authorized military engagements.

Enter Donald Trump, the de facto Republican presidential nominee.

Speaking with Fox News on May 23, Trump said he would consider asking Congress to declare war on ISIS.

“This is a war against people who are vicious, violent people that we have no idea who they are, where they come from,” Trump began, reported the Washington Examiner. “We are allowing tens of thousands of them into our country now so on top of wars on foreign land wait ’til you see what happens in the future,” Trump continued.

When asked to clarify if Trump was asking for Congress to specifically pass a formal declaration of war, Trump responded, “It wouldn’t bother me at all doing that.”

“We probably should have done that in the first place,” he added.

Trump further discussed his plans for fighting ISIS, saying that it is “probably not going to be pretty.”

“I hope I’m wrong about that, but it’s probably not going to be pretty,” Trump continued. “I’ll study the facts, but I think right now I would have no problem with doing it because we are at war. By the way, the world is at war.”

According to CNN, in March, Trump lamented recent spending on foreign wars, while proposing something of a surge to combat ISIS.

“I don’t want to see the United States get bogged down,” he began. “We’ve spent now $2 trillion in Iraq, probably a trillion in Afghanistan. We’re destroying our country.”

“We really have no choice,” Trump continued. “We have to knock out ISIS. I would listen to the generals, but I’m hearing [troop] numbers of 20,000 to 30,000.” 

Sources: Washington Examiner, CNN / Photo credit: The U.S. Army/Flickr