President Donald Trump did little to reassure Americans that war with Iran will end anytime soon, saying it will end only “when I feel it in my bones.”
It’s another stunning admission that Trump and his administration have no real timeline for ending the conflict in Iran started by the U.S. and Israel just two weeks ago. Speaking to Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday, Trump said the economy “will bounce right back” when the war ends.
“We had the greatest economy in history, and we still do,” Trump said. “Oh, this will bounce right back. When it’s over ― and I don’t think it’s going to be long ― when it’s over, this is going to bounce right back, so fast.”
“When are you going to know when it’s over?” Kilmeade asked about the ongoing war.
“When I feel it,” Trump said. “When I feel it in my bones.”
Trump has repeatedly said the war will soon end, despite giving no substantial updates on how that goal will be achieved. At the start of March, Trump claimed the war could end as soon as “four weeks.”
“It’s always been a four-week process,” Trump told The Daily Mail at the time. “We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four-week process so — as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks — or less.”
On Monday, Trump boasted that war with Iran was “very complete, pretty much.”
The next day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wouldn’t say the same.
“So it’s not for me to posit whether it’s the beginning, the middle or the end,” Hegseth told reporters about when the war might end. “That’s his, and he’ll continue to communicate that.”
Then on Wednesday, Trump took things a step further when he claimed that Iran was “about to surrender” in a call with G7 leaders. Just one small problem:
“Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender,” Trump added.
Since starting war with Iran, 13 U.S. service members have died. Trump attended the dignified transfer of six service members killed in action while wearing a white baseball cap with “USA” written on it. And despite Trump’s attempts to deflect blame, mounting evidence suggests it was the U.S. that bombed a school in Iran, killing more than 170 people.
Adding to Trump’s troubles has been Iran’s ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery in the transport of the world’s oil supply. Trump said he’ll order an emergency release of strategic oil reserves to soften the blow of rising oil prices after Iran struck two oil tankers in Iraq on Thursday.
Hegseth promised Friday to carry out the highest volume of strikes yet against Iran.
For all his bluster about how soon the escalating war will end, Trump seemed to drop the veil when speaking to a crowd of supporters in Kentucky on Thursday.
“We don’t want to leave early, do we?” Trump asked. “We’ve got to finish the job.”
