WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� on Monday pushed back against mounting criticism that he hasn’t done enough to explain why it was necessary to start a now or to articulate his vision for an endgame to the escalating conflict.
The frustration is coming not just from the political left but , as the conflict expands, , and in a war that the administration suggests may only be in the opening stages.
Trump also seemed to leave open the possibility for a more extensive U.S. military involvement, telling the New York Post on Monday that he was not ruling out the possibility of boots on the ground. It came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the administration would not get into the 鈥渇oolish鈥� exercise of telegraphing 鈥渨hat we will or will not do.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the yips with respect to boots on the ground 鈥� like every president says, 鈥楾here will be no boots on the ground.鈥� I don鈥檛 say it,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 say 鈥榩robably don鈥檛 need them,鈥� (or) 鈥榠f they were necessary.鈥欌��
The president, and top aides, sought to defend his approach as Iran continues to retaliate by firing drones and missiles at Israel, American bases in the region, and at Persian Gulf neighbors. Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon, also traded strikes on Monday, opening another front in the conflict.
Some in MAGA world are fuming
Trump strode back into office last year on an 鈥淎merica First鈥� pledge to keep the U.S. out of the sort of 鈥渇orever wars鈥� that bogged down some of his recent White House predecessors. Central to his foreign policy outlook dating to his first campaign has been his call to 鈥渁bandon the failed policy of nation building and regime change.鈥�
He echoed this call during a , saying that 鈥渟o-called 鈥榥ation-builders鈥� wrecked far more nations than they built 鈥� and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves.鈥�
But now Trump finds himself in a war of his own choosing that’s spurring concern the U.S. could be dragged into another prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
鈥淚鈥檓 not happy about the whole thing. I don鈥檛 think this was in America鈥檚 interests,鈥� Erik Prince, a longtime Trump ally and a prominent private security contractor said Sunday in an appearance on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s 鈥淲ar Room鈥� podcast. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna uncork a significant can of worms and chaos, and destruction in Iran now.鈥�
Prince added, 鈥淚 don’t see how this is in keeping with the president’s MAGA commitment. I am disappointed.鈥�
Other prominent allies questioning the decision to strike Iran include YouTube host Benny Johnson, influencer Andrew Tate, and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.
Trump, in an interview with journalist Rachael Bade published Monday evening, dismissed some of the concerns as being out of step with the MAGA movement writ large.
鈥淢AGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I鈥檓 doing 鈥� every aspect of it,鈥� Trump said. He added that Iran 鈥渋s a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.鈥�
To be certain, many of Trump’s staunch allies say they back Trump’s decision, and see no signs of schism in their movement.
鈥淣o, ma鈥檃m, I think Iran, they鈥檙e bad actors,鈥� Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told a reporter who asked about the divide. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e killed Americans. In Iraq, they supply armaments. Hezbollah is part of their pact and they鈥檝e supplied them with armaments and funds. And they do business with Chinese, so absolutely not. I think we鈥檙e good.鈥�
Trump, speaking at a White House event on Monday, said the joint U.S. and Israel military operation was 鈥渟ubstantially ahead of schedule鈥� and estimated that it would take four to five weeks to meet the administration’s objectives 鈥� although he said it could take longer.
鈥淲e have capability to go far longer than that,鈥� Trump said.
Hegseth about the time frame.
鈥淧resident Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take. Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks,鈥� Hegseth said. 鈥淚t could move up. It could move back.鈥�
The U.S. military expects in its operation against Iran, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine told reporters. As of Monday, six U.S. service members had been killed in action and others badly injured as Iran carried out a barrage of retaliatory strikes around the region.
Regime change or regime collapse?
The administration has not detailed who it wants to see take control of Iran following the and dozens of other top leaders in the opening salvos of the conflict.
Trump in called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to put down their arms. But history suggests that air power alone is unlikely to bring about the kind of regime change that Trump says he wants to see in Iran.
The president also hasn’t committed to assisting members of the Iranian opposition who he has called on to rise up against the ruling Islamic theocracy once the bombing campaign is done.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington think tank, said that Trump may ultimately be willing to settle for a 鈥渞egime collapse鈥� or 鈥渞egime implosion.鈥�
鈥淭hat is very different (than regime change), not only because potentially it could be achieved, but it鈥檚 also something that enables the Trump administration to wash their hands of the consequences of this,鈥� Parsi said.
Still, Israel is pressing Trump for a sustained operation that could deliver a decisive blow to Iran’s clerical rule.
鈥淚 think the Israelis’ biggest concern may be that President Trump would take 鈥� sort of the early offering, declaring victory,鈥� said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Obama administration who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. 鈥淚 think they鈥檇 like to see this go longer, with the president鈥檚 support.鈥�
Questions about Trump’s rationale
Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings Sunday that Iran was preparing to launch a pre-emptive strike against the U.S. The administration officials instead acknowledged there was a more general threat in the region from Iran鈥檚 missiles and proxy forces.
Yet Trump on Monday repeated his assertion that the U.S. needed to take action because of concerns that Iran was aiming to build ballistic missiles that could reach the United States.
Iran hasn鈥檛 acknowledged it is building or seeking to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, however, said in an last year that Iran could develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035 鈥渟hould Tehran decide to pursue the capability.鈥�
The president also repeated his claim that Iran was seeking to rebuild its nuclear program even after U.S. strikes carried out last June during the had in his words 鈥渙bliterated鈥� three key nuclear facilities.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday reaffirmed that Iran has an 鈥渁mbitious鈥� nuclear program but doesn鈥檛 have a program for building nuclear weapons currently. Iran has refused to let IAEA inspectors visit its damaged nuclear sites.
Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, said 鈥渞egime change is not a viable nonproliferation strategy.鈥�
鈥淚ran鈥檚 nuclear program cannot be bombed away. Iran鈥檚 nuclear knowledge cannot be bombed away,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven if there鈥檚 regime change, Iran鈥檚 program will still pose a proliferation risk.鈥�
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AP journalists Seung Min Kim, Nathan Ellgren, and Didi Tang contributed reporting.
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