Exclusive Interviews with President Trump, and everything Operation Epic Fury

Hours after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military installations, the Washington Reporter spoke with President Donald Trump about what he is calling a decisive early victory.

The operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, targeted key Iranian military assets in a preemptive effort to degrade Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. The president projected confidence, telling the Reporter the mission was proceeding exactly as planned.

“It’s tremendous support Matthew. We’ve had tremendous support. We’ve had tremendous success. Everything is going as scheduled,” President Trump said. “Their response has been quite weak.”

President Donald Trump has a powerful message to America’s allies who are under assault by Iran’s theocratic regime: “they’ll get even,” he told the Washington Reporter in his latest interview.

“They’ll be able to get even, but they know that,” he told the Reporter; in his interview, he slammed the Iranian regime for the “really bad stuff that they’re doing.” Iran’s remaining leaders have attacked American allies throughout the region in the aftermath of Trump’s historic and successful Operation Epic Fury.

The United States military worked closely with its Israeli counterparts to strike facilities throughout Iran; one of them killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, who was tied to multiple plots to assassinate Trump.

Iran has been waging war on America for 47 years. President Donald Trump didn’t start this war — he’s just the first president with the gall to finally fight back. And for that, every American should be thankful. Here’s why Trump’s strikes on the Iranian terrorist regime are correct, timely, and the right path to make America safer and more prosperous. 

First, let’s remember that Iran has been killing Americans for 47 years. The killing started when Iran held Americans hostage in our own embassy in 1979. It continued with the bombing of our Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the attack on Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the killing and maiming of thousands of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan with Iranian-made roadside bombs, and, most recently, the murder of three U.S. Army soldiers at Tower 22 in Jordan in January 2024. President Joe Biden called that attack “despicable.” Then he did nothing about it. 

It’s sadly understandable why Iran thought it could continue killing Americans, building a nuclear weapons program, and building thousands of ballistic missiles. Iran was emboldened by past presidents being too weak, distracted, or compromised to stand up to Iran. Trump is different. 

President Donald Trump’s historic move to strike in conjunction with Israel at sites crucial to Iran’s regime were met with near-universal approval by GOP voters who were asked in a poll, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, if they would back a hypothetical move by the president.

The latest poll from GrayHouse, which was shared with House and Senate Republicans shortly before Trump’s strike, asked voters of all parties if they “support or oppose the United States using military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”

A full 86 percent of Republicans would either strongly support or somewhat support the type of move that Trump just carried out in conjunction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The GrayHouse poll also showed that Americans were open to Trump’s repeated attempts at negotiating with Iran’s Islamic regime, but the administration’s patience ran out, leading to Trump’s unprecedented bombing of Iran.

President Donald Trump’s historic decision to partner directly with America’s ally, Israel, to strike at sites across the Islamic Republic serves as a message to Americans that “America’s warnings are backed by overwhelming strength,” the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Joe Gruters, explained.

Immediately following Trump’s landmark move to attack locations throughout Iran, Gruters said that the president’s moves “made clear that the Iranian regime would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

As chair of the entire Republican Party, Gruters unsurprisingly contrasted Trump’s unprecedented display on American military might with the weakness of one of his predecessors: former President Barack Obama.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.) joined a chorus of Florida lawmakers of both parties in firmly backing President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury, following the administration’s historic strikes on facilities across the Islamic Republic.

But Haridopolos added some local flavor to the Washington Reporter in explaining why he supports Trump’s moves.

“President Trump and Marco Rubio have proven time and time again that peace is best achieved through strength,” he said. He also added context about why the military strikes were necessary. “Today’s action is in response to the recognition that since 1979 the Iranian regime has called for the ‘death of America’ and continue to terrorize their own citizens. Please pray for the success and the safety of our troops.”

President Donald Trump’s historic strike against Iran — conducted in conjunction with Israel — immediately won praise from one of his strong allies in Congress.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), one of Congress’s leading voices against the repressive Iranian regime, is the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; almost immediately after Trump’s strike, Cotton noted that “the butcher’s bill has finally come due for the ayatollahs. May God bless and protect our troops on this vital mission of vengeance, and justice, and safety.”

Cotton, a decorated Army veteran, spent years serving in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and he laid out the rationale for Trump’s surprise attack by highlighting Iran’s “nuclear weapons program,” alongside its “thousands of missiles” and “state sponsorship of terror.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former colleague was quick to praise the world of Rubio’s current boss, President Donald Trump, when it comes to making the Middle East safer via Operation Epic Fury.

Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.), who served for years alongside Rubio and who is one of Trump’s strongest allies in Congress, praised Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth following the news of America’s unprecedented strikes.

“The days of the evil Iranian regime chanting ‘Death to America,’ threatening the very existence of our country and our allies, and oppressing its people are over,” Scott said.

President Donald Trump’s historic strikes on Iranian leadership received immediate support from virtually every Republican in Congress. Most Democrats either couched their praise or fumed in opposition to the successful strikes.

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) was not in that group of Democrats. Following Trump’s launch of Operation Epic Fury, Fetterman cast his partisanship aside and backed Trump up. In doing so, Fetterman sides with more Democratic Party voters than his colleagues in his party would suggest.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said after the strikes. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.” Since Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Fetterman has been one of the staunchest defenders of Israel in either party in Congress, so while his support for Trump’s bold moves isn’t surprising, it continues to leave him on an island within his own caucus on Capitol Hill. 

One of the top-ranking Republicans in Congress continued the GOP’s embrace of President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran in Operation Epic Fury.

Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.), known by some on and off the Hill as “MAGA McClain,” is the Chair of the House GOP Conference; as such, she is one of the most ubiquitous messengers for House Republicans. Following Trump’s strikes, which were carried out alongside Israel, McClain praised the “decisive action” from the White House.

“President Trump has taken decisive action against the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, a regime that has targeted American troops and called for ‘death to America.’” McClain said. “May God bless our Commander in Chief and military leaders with wisdom through this operation and may He keep our troops in His care.”

The Republican Party’s full-scale embrace of President Donald Trump’s historic strikes against Iran in Operation Epic Fury continued with the Chair of the House Freedom Caucus praising the president for his willingness to “stand up to evil forces in this world that threaten America.”

Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.), who helms the Freedom Caucus, also leveraged Trump’s successful attacks on sites around Iran to criticize Democrats in his state for being “willing to stand by and watch Iran continually threaten Israel’s destruction and sponsor worldwide radical Islamic terrorism.”

Harris specifically singled out Gov. Wes Moore (D., Md.) for criticism; Moore, a potential 2028 candidate for Democrats, recently failed in his high-profile bid to gerrymander Harris out of office.

Rep. Julia Letlow (R., La.) is President Donald Trump’s pick to win this year’s Senate race in Louisiana, and she was one of the first lawmakers to back Trump’s historic strikes against terror targets across the Islamic Republic of Iran in Operation Epic Fury.

Following the joint U.S.-Israel strikes, Letlow noted that “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and actively plots to kill Americans.” 

“President Trump’s decisive strikes send a message that America will not tolerate Iran’s threats to our national security,” the Louisiana lawmaker added. “May God bless our troops and keep them safe as we confront radical Islamic terrorism and seek lasting peace.”

One of President Donald Trump’s top loyalists in Congress has seen the carnage wrought by what she called the “bloodthirsty Ayatollah” firsthand.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) is a a senior member of both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Select Committee on Intelligence, but she also represents thousands of members of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, which is based out of New York’s Fort Drum.

In that latter capacity, she knows firsthand that “Iran is the world’s largest sponsor of terror and has targeted, killed, and wounded U.S. service members and civilians throughout the Middle East over the past decades, including soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division,” she said following Trump’s historic Operation Epic Fury.

President Donald Trump’s historic strikes against Iranian targets won backing from a somewhat surprising source: a Democratic lawmaker who is one of the GOP’s top targets this November.

Rep. Greg Landsman (D., Ohio), a Jewish Democrat who flipped a GOP seat in 2022, is towards the top of the Republican Party’s list of Democrats that it would like to oust this year.

Nevertheless, Landsman praised Trump’s work, without mentioning the president directly. “The U.S. is destroying Iran’s missiles and bombs to stop them from taking more lives,” the Ohio Democrat said. “These strikes are targeting military infrastructure — with warnings to Iranian civilians to take shelter away from these military targets. If it wasn’t for the regime, the region may very well know peace.”

The Chair of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), backed President Donald Trump’s historic strikes against Iran.

For years, Moolenaar — one of Congress’s top China hawks — has cautioned about the close and growing links between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Iran. Just days before Trump launched the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against targets across the Islamic Republic, Moolenaar’s committee found that “Chinese companies have also been sanctioned by the U.S. for supplying weapons and dual-use components to the Houthis — an Iran-backed terrorist group — who have attacked U.S. naval vessels over 170 times since 2023.”

“The U.S. government has also sanctioned Chinese companies for aiding Russian weapons manufacturers,” the Committee on the CCP found. “China has provided military technology and support to the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to Cuba, and to other adversarial regimes globally.”

For Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.), President Donald Trump’s strikes on targets across Iran come close to home. Bice, the first Persian-American lawmaker in Congress, was among the first in Congress to back the 47th president after he launched the historic Operation Epic Fury.

Bice laid out her rationale, defending the president’s unprecedented display of American military might as being necessary to defeat “47 years” of Ayatollah-led oppression.

During that time, Bice noted, “the Iranian people have been living under an oppressive regime who funds terrorism across the globe, chants ‘death to America,’ and has slaughtered its own citizens.”

For 26 years, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R., Wis.) served as a Navy SEAL across multiple combat deployments. During those missions, Van Orden has served in every country that Iran has either attacked or destabilized during the reign of terror of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Following President Donald Trump’s historic decision to strike at sites across Iran, Van Orden, a member of the House Armed Services Committees, explained that the moves — which led to Khamenei’s death — were necessary.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has fueled terror and violence across the world,” Van Orden explained. “This regime has operated with impunity for far too long, spreading chaos while threatening the security of the United States and our partners. Their hands are stained with the blood of thousands of Americans.”

One of Congress’s leading human rights defenders quickly backed up President Donald Trump’s historic strikes on Iran — and urged the 47th president to keep up his maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R., Fla.), one of the strongest advocates for human rights in Cuba, turned his attention to the Middle East following Trump’s successful stikes on Iran.

“For nearly five decades, Iranians have endured repression, violence, and torture at the hands of the evil Iranian regime, a regime that exports terrorism, brutally suppresses dissent at home, and openly threatens the United States and our allies,” Díaz-Balart said. The longtime lawmaker is the House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP).

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) has seen Middle East foreign policies come and go during his time in Congress.

But there has never been anything quite like President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury, which led to the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the joint strikes conducted by U.S. and Israeli military forces.

“Thanks to the decisive action of President Trump and his administration, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead and the people of Iran are a big step closer to controlling their own destiny,” Stutzman noted. “Done are the days of the Iranians facing mass slaughter for standing up for their rights. This is a big deal for not only Iran, but the entire Middle East.”

When it comes to the biggest foreign policy story of 2026, Rep. Erin Houchin (R., Ind.) is happy to trust President Donald Trump’s plans.

Immediately following Trump’s historic decision to strike Iran in conjunction with Israel during Operation Epic Fury, Houchin said that she “trust[s] the president’s leadership and pray[s] for our troops and their families.”

For Houchin, Iran’s record of “fueling terror, funding proxy militias, and threatening American interests” mark a trio of reasons that she supports the administration’s bold move.

President Donald Trump’s historic decision to launch Operation Epic Fury won quick praise from one of Congress’s newest lawmakers.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R., Fla.) praised the president and his fellow Floridian, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for their work eliminating sites across Iran in conjunction with Israel.

“The United States demonstrated unmistakable strength with decisive military action against Iran,” Patronis noted. “For decades, the Iranian regime has been an adversary of America while oppressing its own people. Under the leadership of [Trump, Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] the message is clear. America will defend its interests, its allies, and global stability. This is peace through strength in action.”

For nearly 30 years, I wore the uniform of the United States Army. I’ve led soldiers in combat, confronted America’s enemies overseas, and seen firsthand what happens when deterrence fails. Weakness invites aggression. Strength intimidates it.

For decades, Iran’s regime has done nothing but sponsor terror, arm proxy militias, threaten our allies, and pursue nuclear capability in open defiance of the civilized world. Tehran has operated under the assumption that the United States would continue to sit back and let it continue. 

President Donald Trump just proved them wrong.

The strike is politically risky — but there’s also opportunity here for the GOP if executed (and messaged) correctly.

President Donald Trump ran on ending American foreign “adventurism” and ushering in a new era of world peace. Now, he’s pulled the country into a regime-change war in Iran.

With the midterms around the corner — and most Americans wary of U.S. entanglement in another Middle East conflict — “Operation Epic Fury” is probably the riskiest move Trump has made since retaking office.

As February 28, 2026, comes to a close, one thing is certain: the world is a different place because of U.S. and Israeli leadership.

Much remains unknown beyond what we have seen from early reports and social media videos. The precise duration, scope and list of targets of these efforts are still coming to light — as well as the full extent of the response from the Iranian regime and its proxies. We have also yet to see the full response of our allies and partners in the Middle East and beyond.

But as Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion proceed under the cover of night and into their second day, there is already concrete evidence of a new world forming.