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.”
The president’s remarks come amid signs of broad political backing at home. Ahead of the strike, polling reported on exclusively by the Reporter showed widespread support for the use of military force to dismantle Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
When asked about that support, the president responded approvingly: “That’s good, that’s good. A poll came out that Republican voters were almost unanimous in using the military to take out Iran’s weapons.” That support was mirrored by influential Republicans in Congress, like Senator Tom Cotton, (R., Ark.) who have repeatedly stressed to the Reporter that they are in complete alignment with the president on this strike.
Notably, some Democrats have also voiced support for the strikes — an unusual moment of bipartisan alignment on such a consequential foreign policy decision.
“We’ve had support from Democrats, that’s true,” Trump said. Among those who have offered support for the president are Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.), along with Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.) and Greg Landsman (D., Ohio), among others.
The president appeared confident while speaking with the Reporter that the early results validated his decisive decision to act. From his tone, it was clear he believes the strikes have strengthened America’s deterrence posture while sending a message to adversaries abroad.
Asked about the broader message to Muslims around the world, particularly during Ramadan, Trump emphasized stability and peace. “I have a great relationship with Muslims,” he said. “We get along with everybody, but they have to be good, they have to be peaceful.”
