Gov. Sanders: Trump right on Iran, White House run thoughts ‘cross your mind’

Gov. Sarah Sanders expressed support for President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran, criticized commentator Tucker Carlson for a recent interview with her father, and deflected questions about her presidential ambitions, although she did say “Certainly, you know, things cross your mind.”

Sanders made the comments in a video interview with Politico senior reporter Jonathan Martin recorded March 4 and posted March 9. The interview occurred at Wright’s Barbecue in Little Rock and is the first of Martin’s new “On the Road” series featuring politics and places to eat across the country.

Sanders said Trump’s attacking Iran was “100%” the right decision. She said Trump has consistently said he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and that he would put American interests first.

“He had to take out their offensive capability,” she said. “They’ve been very clear. This is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and they have been very emphatic on who their biggest enemies are, who their targets are, and this is a president who’s not going to sit by and allow them to threaten American life and not do something about it.”

She said Trump is quickly implementing conservative policy while “getting things done that most people never thought possible.”

She said midterm elections, which occur this year, are always difficult for the party in power, but if anybody can break that cycle, it’s Trump. She said the party can outperform expectations if he engages in individual races. If Arkansas were a close state, she would welcome his appearance here.

“He can bring out your voters, and he’s still the most dominant voice and the best messenger in the Republican Party,” she said.

Asked about her own presidential ambitions, she said, “Certainly, you know, things cross your mind,” but she said she is focused on her current job.

“I think in any job, especially one like that I have right now in public service, your goal, your focus has to be to do a really good job in the role that you have, and see what happens from there. So my focus is Arkansas and helping us move to the top and take it from that point.”

Sanders also commented on the results of the March 3 primary elections where three state Senate candidates that she endorsed lost their races. At the same time, other candidates she supported won.

“We won the vast majority of the ones that we engaged in, but you’re not going to win every race,” she said. “I think the big story, though, is, that I didn’t have a primary, and that shows, I think, that there is a lot of support for what we’re doing.”

Sanders said she was disappointed with Carlson’s “dishonesty and the manner in which he conducted the interview” with her father, former Arkansas Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

The influential Carlson has criticized the United States’ support for Israel, while Huckabee is a staunch Israel supporter. During the combative interview, Huckabee said it would be “fine” if Israel took control of the land area described in the biblical book of Genesis that today would encompass much of the Middle East. Huckabee later told Vanity Fair that the comment was made tongue-in-cheek and that he then repeatedly said Israel was not seeking to annex all of the land.

Sanders said she was proud of her dad’s performance.

“I think one of the differences that was really clear in that interview: My dad is coming from a place of deep conviction and belief that is grounded in biblical and spiritual truth, and I don’t think you saw that on the other side, and I think it was important for people watching that interview to see the two different sides,” she said.