Trump encourages Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

Donald Trump had a somewhat hectic Friday. The former president first stopped in Georgia, where he joined Governor Brian Kemp for a briefing on Hurricane Helene's devastation, before flying to North Carolina for a campaign event. From Fayetteville, the former president discussed escalating tensions in the Middle East and particularly Israel's next move against Iran.

Accompanied by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Trump took questions from the audience and had a viral moment with a Vietnam veteran.

Trump remarked on the geopolitical dangers of a hypothetical Kamala Harris victory, announcing that World War III is closer than ever given the current context. Minutes later, he referred to the situation in the Middle East, where Iran recently fired missiles at Israel.

According to the Times of Israel, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it had launched "dozens" of missiles, and warned that if Israel responded, the attack would be "more crushing and ruinous."

Trump weighed in, encouraging Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities in response.

"I listened to Biden yesterday. (...) He was asked 'What do you think about Iran, would you strike Iran?'And he said, 'As long as they don't attack the nuclear material.' That's what you want to attack, right? I think he was wrong on that. That's the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons. The power of nuclear weapons," he noted.

"We have to be fully prepared, we have to be absolutely prepared. When he was asked that question, the answer should have been 'strike nuclear first'," he added.

In turn, Trump promised to rename the Fort Liberty military base, the largest in the country and located in North Carolina, back to its original christening, that of Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

"The first question I asked was: should we change the name from Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg? So here's what we'll do: we'll get elected. I will do it. (...) I promise you, as I said at the beginning, we're going to change the name back to Fort Bragg," the Republican expressed, gaining applause from those present.