Is Donald Trump already regretting getting involved militarily in Iran?
Earlier this week, the president was speaking to reporters on Air Force One when he complained that various U.S. allies have declined to participate in the Iran military action.
“Really, I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory – because it is their territory,” Trump said on Air Force One. “They should come and they should help us protect it. You could make the case that maybe we shouldn’t even be there at all, because we don’t need it. We have a lot of oil. We’re the number one producer anywhere in the world times two.”
Trump: You could make the case that maybe we shouldn’t even be there at all pic.twitter.com/eksmDTpT3Y
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 16, 2026
The comment made headlines, both because Trump seemed to be vacillating on whether the intervention was a good idea, and also because he seemed to admit that the war was actually about a desire for oil.
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The Iranian military action, clearly, has not gone as smoothly as Trump hoped. The Venezuela intervention in January may have resulted in the toppling of a foreign leader, with minimal complication or drama and no disruption to oil supplies. But the war in Iran hasn’t been nearly as quick or easy, with oil prices soaring, and American troops losing their lives.
There were some shocked reactions to Trump’s apparent admission:
Yes, you could make that case! https://t.co/SUousFsy8Q
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) March 16, 2026
At this point I am happy to be “cut off” by anybody who is still mindlessly cheerleading this. The best you can say now is that there’s obviously no plan for this term and there never was, just like the first term. Difference this time is that the stakes were much higher. https://t.co/1TxCdSuUQd
— 🌘revenant⚡ (@revenant_MMXX) March 16, 2026
Trump: “Maybe we shouldn’t even be there at all.”
Send in the Marines to some abandoned island. Plant an American Flag 🇺🇸. Declare “Victory” and go home…
“Winning”
Grinding
Pull-back? https://t.co/6D6pTe0qsd
— Eric Yeung 👍🚀🌕 (@KingKong9888) March 16, 2026
The central purpose of the Trump show is to keep us confused and wrong-footed. This is done because traditional propaganda is no longer very effective at persuading people. https://t.co/aBDFOKXdST
— Club des Cordeliers (@cordeliers) March 18, 2026
What if there’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde thing going on with Trump? Like his handlers are slipping him drugs that turn him into a neocon but the effects wear off after a couple weeks… https://t.co/vmwdJTzVHv
— SatanWatch 👿 (@_SatanWatch) March 17, 2026
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
