Trump reportedly launched Yemen raid after he was told Obama wouldn’t have been ‘bold enough’ to do it

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President Donald Trump’s first major military operation resulted in the death of Navy SEAL William Owens. The counterterrorism raid in Yemen has been widely criticized as being not only reckless but also as ultimately failing in its goals.

According to an anonymous official speaking to NBC News, the president ordered the raid after being told by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford that it would be a “game changer” if the raid was successful. Trump was also told that his predecessor, Barack Obama, would not have been “bold enough” to make the move, prompting the president to take action.

As a result of the botched operation, a Navy SEAL was killed, three Americans were wounded and civilians were also reportedly killed. In addition, a $75 million helicopter was lost in the raid. The net result of the raid was that Yemen denied the United States permission to run any more Special Operations ground missions in order to chase down terrorists in Yemen.

What’s more, according to Navy Capt. John Davis, there was “never any intention, hope, anticipation, or plan” that Al Qaeda leader Qassim al-Rimi would be captured or killed during the raid, despite reports that he was the “secret” target. Instead, White House press secretary Sean Spicer maintained that the raid was meant to gather intelligence.