--- title: Syria: H.R. McMaster Says U.S. Wants Regime Change description: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said the U.S. wants to defeat Islamic State and remove Syrian President Bashar Assad canonical: https://time.com/4732401/hr-mcmaster-donald-trump-syria/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-09T20:20:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:44:56.634Z article:section: Politics og:title: H.R. McMaster: U.S. Wants to Eliminate 'Murderous Regime' in Syria og:description: "We are prepared to do more" og:url: https://time.com/4732401/hr-mcmaster-donald-trump-syria/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2db0377b1c0c1377/6988c206a988caace26bba59/mcmaster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: H.R. McMaster og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: H.R. McMaster: U.S. Wants to Eliminate 'Murderous Regime' in Syria twitter:description: "We are prepared to do more" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2db0377b1c0c1377/6988c206a988caace26bba59/mcmaster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:00 video:published: 2017-04-09 section: world topics: U.S. Syria policy, Bashar al-Assad, ISIS, political solution, military action, chemical attack, missile strikes, national security genre: interview, news tones: serious, measured, firm emotions: concern (medium), determination (medium), anger (low) sentiment: negative audience: policy followers, news viewers, foreign affairs readers, general news audience people: H.R. McMaster, Donald Trump, Bashar al-Assad organizations: Fox News Sunday, ISIS, United States government content_suitability: war [00:00-01:00]; violence [00:44-00:54]; death [00:44-00:54]; politics [00:00-01:00] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster: U.S. Wants to Eliminate 'Murderous Regime' in Syria > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=cdb700f6-25b6-4ef1-82d9-96a9be71ddf1&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster: U.S. Wants to Eliminate 'Murderous Regime' in Syria [Watch (HLS stream): National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster: U.S. Wants to Eliminate 'Murderous Regime' in Syria](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WMTLUIVn.m3u8) (1:00)  _Published 2017-04-09. National security adviser H.R. McMaster said the United States wants to defeat the Islamic State and remove Syrian President Bashar Assad — although not in a unilateral move — in his first televised interview._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary In his first televised interview, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster says the United States wants to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defeat ISIS. He describes President Trump's pursuit of a political solution for Syria and explains why one would be difficult while Assad remains in power. McMaster says further military action is possible and that the U.S. is prepared to do more, following missile strikes ordered after a chemical attack that killed 87 civilians. ## Key points - The United States wants to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defeat ISIS, according to McMaster. (00:00) - McMaster said President Trump is seeking a political solution for Syria. (00:10) - McMaster said a political solution would be difficult to achieve during an Assad regime. (00:18) - McMaster said further military action against Syria is possible. (00:25) - The U.S. would like to destroy both the Islamic State and oust Assad. (00:25) - President Trump ordered missile strikes against Syria in response to a chemical attack. (00:44) - The chemical attack killed 87 civilians, including women and children. (00:44) - McMaster said the U.S. is prepared to do more. (00:54) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] McMaster on Syria Policy Goals. McMaster states the U.S. aims to remove Assad and defeat ISIS, and discusses the prospects for a political solution. - [00:25 to 01:00] Possible Further Action After Missile Strikes. McMaster says further military action is possible following missile strikes responding to a deadly chemical attack. ## Key quotes - [00:54] H.R. McMaster: "We are prepared to do more." ## Questions this video answers - What does the U.S. want to achieve in Syria? [00:00] - What political approach is President Trump pursuing for Syria? [00:10] - Is further military action against Syria possible? [00:25] - Why did President Trump order missile strikes against Syria? [00:44] ## Content suitability - war [00:00-01:00]: Discussion of military action and strikes against Syria and ISIS. - violence [00:44-00:54]: Reference to missile strikes following a chemical attack. - death [00:44-00:54]: Chemical attack reportedly killed 87 civilians, including women and children. - politics [00:00-01:00]: Discussion of U.S. foreign policy and presidential decisions. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Apr 9, 2017 8:20 PM UTC National security adviser H.R. McMaster said the United States wants to defeat the Islamic State and remove Syrian President Bashar Assad — although not in a unilateral move — in his first televised interview. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Apr 9, 2017 8:20 PM UTC National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said the U.S. wants to defeat the Islamic State and remove Syrian President Bashar Assad — although not in a unilateral move — in his [first televised interview](http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/videos#p/5369946651001/v/5391449794001). McMaster left open the possibility for further military action against Syria following a [missile strike last week](http://time.com/4732046/us-syria-strikes-pressure/) ordered by President Trump in response to the country’s [chemical attack](http://time.com/4732044/syria-gas-attack-airstrikes-russia/) against rebel forces that killed 87 people including children. Speaking on _Fox News Sunday_, McMaster said Trump was seeking a “political solution” for a regime change in Syria. “It’s very difficult to understand how a political solution could result form the continuation of the Assad regime,” McMaster said. “Now, we are not saying that we are the ones who are going to effect that change. What we are saying is, other countries have to ask themselves some hard questions. Russia should ask themselves … why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population?” McMaster said U.S. goals of both destroying ISIS and ousting Assad were “simultaneous.” He did not rule out further strikes on Syria if Assad continued egregious attacks against rebel forces with chemical or other weapons. “We are prepared to do more,” he said. “The President will make whatever decision he thinks is in the best interest of the American people.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4732401/hr-mcmaster-donald-trump-syria/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4732401/hr-mcmaster-donald-trump-syria/"},"headline":"National Security Adviser H.R. 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