O'Donnell Attacks Trump for Not Promising Troops ‘Home for Christmas’

Nicholas Fondacaro
August 28th, 2026 2:56 PM

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Few in the liberal elitist media have as wide of a gulf between how smart they think they are and how smart they actually are than MS Now’s Lawrence O’Donnell. Students of history are aware of several classic military blunders: touching America’s boats, invading Russia in winter, and engaging in a land war in Asia. Yet on Thursday’s The Last Word, O’Donnell, who fancies himself a history buff, proved he would commit another: promise to end a war by Christmas.

“Well, the list of what Donald Trump didn't do today is, as usual, much, much longer than the list of what he did do today,” O’Donnell the pseudointellectual proclaimed.

Aside from the fact that literally everyone’s list of things they didn’t do in a day was longer than the list of things they did do, O’Donnell was aghast that President Trump had not promised the service members fighting Iran and their families that the war would be over and they’d be reunited by Christmas:

Donald Trump did not do anything to win or end his war with Iran. Donald Trump didn't say anything encouraging to the families of the American military personnel serving in Donald Trump's war. Not the slightest hint that those troops would be home for Christmas. The families still have no idea about that.

Promising to end a war by Christmas was a historic military blunder inviting catastrophe dating back over a century.

 

 

It’s arguably one of the most famous failed predictions about how fast World War I would be decided. In the summer of 1914, leaders on both sides had promised an end to the war within months, with some saying troops would be home for Christmas. The war went on for another four years.

In World War II, the gambit that was Operation Market Garden, when Allied forces invaded the Netherlands with the hopes of driving into northern Germany, was carried out with the idea it would end the war by Christmas of 1944. The September operation failed and the war went on for another year.

During the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur also promised to have the troops “home by Christmas” of 1950. The war lasted three more years.

Demanding Trump announce such a timetable for the War with Iran was a theme for O’Donnell throughout the week.

On Wednesday, he was blowing hot air about Trump admitting he had no such timetable. “Today, the laziest and sleepiest president in history said this: ‘I have no time schedule. None.’ Yeah, we knew that,” he bloviated. “That comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched the most disorganized and laziest president in history…”

 

 

Thinking he was getting reinforcements to support his point, O’Donnell spoke with retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. But Hertling noted that “Good strategy isn't calendar driven” and embarrassed the bitter MS Now host:

O’DONNELL: And he's in no hurry. How does that land on the service members serving in this war?

HERTLING: Well, first, Lawrence, what I'd say is that the president doesn't need to give us a date or a time stamp. He needs to give us an end state. Good strategy isn't calendar driven. (…) As a commander in combat, I wouldn't tell a subordinate unit to take a hill by 5:00 in the morning unless it was critically important to the rest of the mission state. I would say take the hill. So, this is the kind of information we don’t need from our president.

O’Donnell nodded along, but the fact he went back to harping on the notion the following night showed he was content to keep pushing the point.

Given O’Donnell’s repeated refrain of calling Trump a “madman” in recent days, it’s like he’s desperately trying to get Trump removed from office by Christmas.

The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read:

MS NOW’s The Last Word
August 26, 2026
10:27:48 p.m. Eastern

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Today, the laziest and sleepiest president in history said this: “I have no time schedule. None.” Yeah, we knew that. That comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched the most disorganized and laziest president in history, who, because he doesn't schedule nap time, often appears to take his naps right in his chair in the Oval Office or in the Cabinet Room while other people are saying worshipful things about him.

In one of those utterly pointless telephone interviews in which we learn absolutely nothing important with a reporter today, Donald Trump said this about his war in Iran: “I have no time schedule. None. I'm not in a hurry. I have no time schedule at all.”

(…)

10:23:25 p.m. Eastern

O’DONNELL: General Hertling, you're in the middle of a war started by the president of the United States. And the president of the United States says ‘I have no time schedule. None.’ And he's in no hurry. How does that land on the service members serving in this war?

GENERAL MARK HERTLING (Army, retired): Well, first, Lawrence, what I'd say is that the president doesn't need to give us a date or a time stamp. He needs to give us an end state. Good strategy isn't calendar driven. But the conditions we are attempting to achieve is critical to the mission.

As a commander in combat, I wouldn't tell a subordinate unit to take a hill by 5:00 in the morning unless it was critically important to the rest of the mission state. I would say take the hill. So, this is the kind of information we don’t need from our president.

(…)

August 27, 2026
10:01:43 p.m. Eastern

O’DONNELL: Well, the list of what Donald Trump didn't do today is, as usual, much, much longer than the list of what he did do today.

Donald Trump did not do anything to win or end his war with Iran. Donald Trump didn't say anything encouraging to the families of the American military personnel serving in Donald Trump's war. Not the slightest hint that those troops would be home for Christmas. The families still have no idea about that.

(…)

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