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Trump calls Iran conflict ‘small potatoes,’ defends Vance’s refusal to call it a war
President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed the conflict with Iran, which has killed 18 U.S. service members, as “small potatoes for us” and defended Vice President JD Vance’s assertion that the fighting does not constitute a war. Trump described the situation as a “military conflict” during a Q&A in the Oval Office with reporters.
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Trump’s remarks
President Donald Trump on Friday described the ongoing conflict with Iran as “small potatoes for us,” pushing back on characterizations of the fighting as a war. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by ABC News’ Rachel Scott: “Can you explain to the American people, if this is not a war, what exactly is it?”
Trump responded: “Well, I’ll tell you what, a lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s, it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing.”
The remarks come as U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict with Iran. According to reports, 18 U.S. service members have died, and the fighting has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $37.5 billion. The conflict began on Feb. 28, according to reports.
Vance’s position
The president’s comments echoed a statement made a day earlier by Vice President JD Vance, who said on Thursday that he would not call the U.S. fighting with Iran a “war” and avoided predicting the conflict would end by the November midterm elections. Trump defended Vance’s stance, indicating agreement with the vice president’s characterization.
Context and comparisons
When answering the question, Trump compared the current conflict to past U.S. military engagements, noting that in Venezuela, “we lost nobody,” in Iran, “we lost 18 people,” in Vietnam, “we lost 100,000 people,” and in other conflicts, “tens of thousands of people.”
According to U.S. National Archives records, a total of 58,220 members of the U.S. armed forces died during the Vietnam War.
Trump also highlighted what he described as successes in the current conflict, saying that it has led to the defanging of Iran’s nuclear program. He asserted: “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon because if they did you probably wouldn’t be standing here.”
Military operations and regional tensions
Reports indicate that the U.S. and Israel have carried out air strikes in the Iran conflict and have not deployed troops into the country. Additionally, Iran fired at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iran earlier in the week.
The conflict, which Trump initially said would last a matter of weeks, has continued and resulted in 18 U.S. service member deaths, according to reports.
How each outlet told it
A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.
Framing: Emphasizes Trump's testy reaction and his dismissal of the Iran war as 'small potatoes' when questioned about its length. — critical and somewhat dismissive of Trump's statements
Facts Included:
President Donald Trump called the Iran conflict 'small potatoes' and 'not a big thing'.
Trump was pressed by Rachel Scott of ABC News about record-setting deployments.
Trump repeatedly asked 'How long were we in Vietnam?' when pressed.
Trump claimed the U.S. had stopped Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Trump said U.S. satellite intelligence would spot any future threats from Iran.
Trump said the U.S. had 'essentially taken over' Iran.
The widow of John A. Klinner, an airman killed in the campaign, alleges she has been denied some military benefits because the administration has not formally declared war.
Vice President Vance said 'We very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get.'
Bipartisan critics allege the president has ignored the Constitution and War Powers Act by continuing the fight without congressional authorization.
Both houses have approved resolutions demanding the president seek clearance.
Trump dismissed the Senate's June vote on the war as 'poorly timed and meaningless.'
Trump downplayed the centrality of the Hormuz Strait, claiming pipelines, shipping routes, and overland oil transport would replace it.
Trump said 'The Hormuz Strait is not what it used to be' and 'They're going to end up with a Hormuz Strait that's not very necessary anymore.'
Framing: The headline emphasizes Trump's insult to war dead, characterizing his remark as 'jaw-dropping'.
Facts Included:
Donald Trump has dismissed his war in Iran, in which 18 S. service members have been killed, as “small potatoes for us.”
The president, 80, was taking questions in the Oval Office on Friday when he was asked how he would describe the conflict with Iran.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked Trump: “Can you explain to the American people, if this is not a war, what exactly is it?”
Trump said: “Well, I’ll tell you what, a lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s, it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing.”
ClaimThe widow of John A. Klinner, an airman killed in the Iran campaign, alleges she has been denied some military benefits because the Trump administration has not formally declared war.
ClaimBipartisan critics allege the president has ignored the Constitution and War Powers Act by continuing the fight against Iran without congressional authorization.