Donald Trump’s daughter persuaded him to strike targets in Syria, according to reports of a diplomatic memo.
A cable briefing to Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson by Britain’s ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Darroch said Ms Trump was influential in bringing about the bombings, those who saw the memo said.
It claimed Mr Trump was “genuinely shaken” by pictures of more than 80 who died in a Sarin nerve gas attack that were broadcast on cable television, according to The Sunday Times.
Sources who read the message said the first daughter's position on the atrocity was a “significant influence in the Oval Office”. Ministers were told it meant the administration’s reaction was “stronger than expected”.
Sir Kim reportedly pointed to a tweet sent by Ms Trump in which she announced she was “heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack”.
Marking a striking U-turn from the anti-interventionist stance Mr Trump took during his campaign, on Friday he ordered the firing of 59 cruise missiles at a military target in the war-torn country.
Reports said the barrage of Tomahawk missiles, fired from two US Navy vessels located in the Mediterranean Sea, targeted Al Shayrat air base in the central city of Homs, from which Syrian aircraft staged Tuesday’s chemical weapons attack.
After the missile strike, Ms Trump wrote on Twitter: “The times we are living in call for difficult decisions. Proud of my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against humanity.”
The military campaign has been praised internationally as well as by Democrats and liberal media outlets.
