Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said Wednesday night that “soft power,” practiced by President Obama and Hillary Clinton, doesn’t work in the real world. Gen. Flynn, who also served the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under the president, appeared on “The Kelly File” with Megyn Kelly to discuss the increasing volatility in the Middle East, including the latest tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“It’s testing our resolve, it’s testing our rules of engagement,” Gen. Flynn said of the recent live-fire missile test by the Iranians next to the USS Harry S. Truman. “It’s looking at us and saying,, you know, we’re kind of giving you the big middle finger and we’re going to see what you are going to do about it.”
“Are you going to punch us in the nose?”
The comment also including Iran recently taking video of an underground missile site that violated UN security council resolutions.
“What we could do is what I would describe as a big red dot on that site that fired that missile and threaten to say that we will destroy that the next time you even remotely think about it. We have to show strength that’s hard power more than this soft power stuff we’re just playing around with,” Gen. Flynn said laughing in disbelief. “It doesn’t work in the real world. It just doesn’t.”
Gen. Flynn repeated–as he often does during interviews–that he would like to get behind Mr. Obama but he has made and is continuing to make some very poor choices. He warned that the next election is an extremely important decision for the American people considering the utterly chaotic situation in the Middle East Mr. Obama will leave to the next president.
“Again, I don’t want to sit here and bash on our president. I don’t. I really want to help. But we are making poor decisions . We’re showing our enemies and the threats we face.. we’re showing them our weaknesses in such a big way. And frankly it’s very dangerous.”

Charlotte Murphy / March 20, 2025
Your article is a rich slitherio tapestry of insights and perspectives
/
foodle / June 11, 2025
I learned a lot from your blog. If you want to have more fun, you can learn more about old video games. It’s going to be fun to play with you again!
/
Pressing Under Pressure / May 26, 2026
I think he’s got a point. Sometimes it feels like people forget that being nice doesn’t always keep you safe, and you need to be strong too. It’s like in school, you gotta be kind but also stand up for yourself. Play Pressing Under Pressure
/
Steal Brainrot Online / May 26, 2026
Totally makes sense. It’s like when you try to be super nice to a bully and hope they stop, but they just keep pushing you around. Sometimes you gotta stand up straight and show you mean business. Play Steal Brainrot Online
/
Minesweeper Plus / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn makes a good point. It’s like if you’re trying to stop a bully on the playground, just being nice and asking them to stop doesn’t always work—sometimes you gotta show you’re strong too. Soft stuff is important, but it can’t be the only tool in the box. Play Minesweeper Plus
/
Flux2 / May 26, 2026
Totally makes sense. Sometimes being nice without any backup just lets bad guys walk all over you. It’s like trying to reason with a bully on the playground when you know they only listen to the teacher. Use Flux 2
/
Image to Image / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn has a point. Sometimes being too nice or just talking doesn’t fix big problems, you gotta be strong and clear like a grown-up who means what they say. Use Image to Image
/
Swipe Ready / May 26, 2026
Totally makes sense. Sometimes being too nice just makes bullies think they can push you around, ya know? Gotta be strong so people listen. Use Swipe Ready
/
Novatools / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point. Sometimes trying to be nice to everyone doesn’t stop the bad guys, like when a bully on the playground doesn’t listen to words. You need to be strong and show you mean business. Use Novatools
/
Home Design AI / May 26, 2026
Yeah, that makes sense. It’s like trying to be friends with a bully—sometimes you gotta be strong and say “no” or they wont listen. Use Home Design AI
/
PokePlunder / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point. It’s like trying to be nice to a bully on the playground—sometimes you just gotta stand up straight and show you mean business, or they won’t listen to you. Play PokePlunder Online
/
PokePlunder / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point. It’s like trying to be nice to a bully on the playground—sometimes you just gotta stand up straight and show you mean business, or they won’t listen to you. Play PokePlunder Online
/
X Trench Run / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn makes a good point. Sometimes being too nice and just talking doesn’t scare the bad guys, you gotta show you mean business or they won’t listen. Play X Trench Run Online
/
Finn's Fishing Bonanza / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn has a point—sometimes being nice and just talking doesn’t stop bullies, you gotta show you mean business too. It’s like in the playground, saying “please stop” doesn’t always work if they know you won’t do anything. Play Finn’s Fishing Bonanza Online
/
Impossible Chess / May 26, 2026
It’s kinda like trying to win a game just by being nice, but the other team is playing for keeps. Sometimes you gotta show you mean business, or nobody listens. Play Impossible Chess
/
A Fly In The Array / May 26, 2026
I think what Gen. Flynn means is that sometimes being too nice or just using words doesn’t stop the bad guys, like how telling a bully to stop doesn’t work if they don’t listen. You need to show you’re strong too, not just talk. Play A Fly In The Array
/
Hammy Home / May 26, 2026
It’s like trying to use a water gun to stop a fire—soft talk just doesn’t work when people are being mean for real. Kids know that sometimes you have to be strong to protect your friends. Play Hammy Home
/
CaptchaWare / May 26, 2026
Totally makes sense. Sometimes being nice just isn’t enuf when the other side is playing hardball. Kids learn that on the playground too. Play CaptchaWare
/
Epstein Clicker / May 26, 2026
It’s kinda like when you try to be super nice to a bully so they’ll stop, but they just take your lunch money anyway. Sometimes you gotta stand up strong so people listen! Play Epstein Clicker
/
Her Trees / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn makes a good point. Sometimes being too nice or just using words doesn’t scare the bad guys, and they think they can push us around. It’s like telling a bully “please stop” instead of showing them you’re strong too. Play Her Trees
/
Splunko Drip / May 26, 2026
That makes a lot of sense. Sometimes being too nice or just talking isn’t enough, you gotta have real strength to back it up. Play Splunko Drip
/
Scritchy Scratchy / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn has a point—sometimes being too nice or just using words doesn’t stop bad guys. My dad says you need to be strong so people listen, not just smile and hope. It’s like when a bully doesn’t stop until you stand up tall. Play Scritchy Scratchy
/
GPTDetect.ai / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point. It’s like when you try to be nice to a bully on the playground, but they just keep pushing you around—sometime you have to stand your ground and be firm to keep everyone safe. Use GptDetect
/
Picool / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn makes a good point. Sometimes being too nice or just using words doesn’t stop the bad guys, you need to be strong and ready to act. It’s like if a big kid is bullying you on the playground, just saying “please stop” doesn’t always work, right? Use Picool
/
Liquid Glass HQ / May 26, 2026
I think what General Flynn means is like when you try to be super nice to a bully and just give them cookies, but they still take your lunch money. Sometimes you gotta stand up tall and show you mean business, or else they won’t listen. It’s a tough lesson. Use Liquid Glass
/
Idols Of Ash / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point. It’s like trying to make friends with a bully by giving him cookies, but he just takes the whole jar and laughs. Sometimes you gotta stand tall and show you mean business. Play Idols Of Ash
/
Trees Hate You / May 26, 2026
I think what Flynn is saying makes sense—sometimes being nice and talking doesn’t stop bad guys, so you need to be strong too. It’s like when you try to share toys with a bully, but they just take more. Play Trees Hate You
/
Brush Jjaemu / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn has a point. Sometimes trying to be nice and talk things out doesn’t work when the other side is playing for keeps. It’s like trying to share your toys with a bully who just wants to take them all. Play Brush Jjaemu
/
Castle Busters / May 26, 2026
I think Gen. Flynn has a point. Sometimes being nice and using “soft power” doesn’t scare the bad guys, you know? It’s like trying to tell a bully to stop by giving them a cookie—it just doesn’t work in the real world. Play Castle Busters
/
Klifur / May 26, 2026
Flynn makes a good point—sometimes being too nice or just talking doesn’t stop bad guys, like when a bully doesn’t listen to words. You gotta have real strength too, not just smiles. Play Klifur
/
Cobb Can Move / May 26, 2026
I think he’s got a point. Sometimes being nice doesn’t stop the bullies, you gotta show you’re strong too. It’s like on the playground, saying “please stop” doesn’t always work. Play Cobb Can Move
/
Scooby Doo Creepy Run / May 26, 2026
I think General Flynn makes a good point—sometimes being too nice doesn’t work when dealing with tough people. It’s like if you’re playing a game and the other kid keeps cheating, saying “please stop” won’t help. You gotta show them you mean business. Play Scooby Doo Creepy Run
/