The US is at war with Iran and president Donald Trump gave his first proper sit-down interview with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul – and, perhaps understandably, critics are not happy.
After Trump endorsed Paul if he ever went into politics at a rally-style event in Kentucky, Trump sat down for an interview with Paul on his YouTube channel.
Paul posted the interview, which ran to nearly half and hour, and added the caption: “My Interview with President Donald Trump
“We cover the Iran war, immigration policies, the assassination attempt, life advice, some funny topics, and more.”
At one point in the interview, Trump suggested that Paul should take UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov as his next opponent in the ring – a pretty terrifying prospect, and a huge mismatch, considering Russian Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as the greatest fighter of all time and the person to hold the UFC Lightweight Champion title for the longest time.
However, it was the nature and the timing of the interview itself that came in for criticism online.
It comes as the US deploys thousands of troops and more warships to the Middle East as Iran steps up on the Strait of Hormuz. At least 2,000 people have been killed since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, leading to a war that has spread across the Middle East.
The criticism of the interview on social media was strong, with one writing: "The first sit down interview the President of United States grants after launching his regime change War in Iran is with Jake Paul.
"We are not a serious country.
"This is not a serious administration.
"You don’t hate this timeline enough."
Another wrote: "This is not AI. Jake Paul interviewed Donald Trump.
"Within the first 48 seconds of the interview, Trump said he watched the Anthony Joshua fight on Air Force One. He called Jake brave and joked about Jake getting his jaw broken.
"This is the world we’re living in."
It comes after Paul joined Trump at a rally earlier this week. Speaking on stage, Paul said: “What Mr. Trump has taught me is courage. We never back down from a fight, even if they’re much bigger than you, much, much bigger than you. I feel all the local Kentuckians feel the same way. You guys have that fight. You guys have that swag.”
Paul was appearing after he suffered a double broken jaw in a fight against Anthony Joshua in December.
Trump then took to the microphone and made a terrifying forecast.
“I’m going to make a prediction that you will be, in the not-too-distant future, running for political office,” Trump said. “And you have my complete and total endorsement.”
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