Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, defended the president's national security decisions Wednesday on CNN.
Host Jake Tapper asked Gorka what to make of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's statement earlier in the day to Iran that the country is being "put on notice."
"Well, it's a very simple signal: there's a new sheriff in town," Gorka said. "His name is Donald J. Trump, and we are not going to follow the policies of the prior administration, which really facilitated Iran in terms of getting more muscular, releasing those billions of dollars, and also bringing the JCPOA agreement, which also was disastrous in terms of our allies and security of the region."
"So it's sending a very simple message: this is a new dawn, a new day for relations with Iran."
Tapper tried to ask Gorka if Iran would be emboldened to go ahead and produce nuclear weapons if Trump withdraws from the Iran nuclear deal.
"This is the great irony that people talk about how an action here in America in the White House or in the Congress will suddenly change the aggressive nature of Iran," Gorka said. "This is a nation that is already going up to our naval vessels, is harassing our naval vessels, our friends' vessels in the Red Sea, is firing upon Saudi ships."
When Tapper asked Gorka if the immigration ban by Trump was going to help the Islamic State, Gorka lambasted the assertion.
"I would say that any document signed or executed in the United States makes no difference to ISIS. ISIS believes you are an infidel, Jake, and you should be beheaded or convert to Islam," Gorka responded. "Whether or not a president signs something or not is utterly irrelevant to that attitude."
"The idea that what we do here, that they're suddenly going to surrender or give up or recruit less is absurd," Gorka continued. "They wish to have a global caliphate, Jake. That's all that they wish to do."