Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2026
April 6, 2026
U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. Mr. President, how would it not be a war crime to strike Iran's bridges and power plants?
The President. Because they killed 45,000 people in the last month. more than that. It could be as much as 60. They killed protesters. They're animals, and we have to stop them.
And we can't let them have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. They want a nuclear weapon. They've been trying for a long time. I stopped them with the Obama horrible Iran nuclear deal. I stopped him in a lot of different ways. Got rid of Soleimani, the evil genius. He was an evil genius. We got rid of him. And then we stopped them with the B–2 bombers not so long ago, and if we didn't do it, Israel and the Middle East would have been extinguished by now.
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. Why did you move—why did you move the deadline, sir? Why did you move the deadline to tomorrow?
The President. Why did I move it? [Inaudible]—chance. Not going to be moved again. But I gave them a chance, and I hope they take the chance. If they don't, it's trouble.
Q. Are you on board with the——
The President. Who are you with?
Q. I'm with NBC, sir.
The President. Huh?
Q. NBC, sir. I'm with——
The President. So bad. It's such a bad—it's such a bad network. It's such a pathetic—is this your camera?
Q. This is the public pool——
Q. I'm the pool—pool camera. So——
The President. You what?
Q. [Inaudible]
The President. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q. [Inaudible]—45-day cease-fire that you talked about—[inaudible].
The President. Who's talking about 45 days?
U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. There are reports this morning that mediators are putting forth a 45-day cease-fire. What——
The President. The only one that's going to set a cease-fire is me. I haven't set any cease-fire.
But they will—they'd like to have a cease-fire because they're getting obliterated. So we'll see how they behave. Okay?
Rescued U.S. Servicemembers From Iran
Q. What can we learn from our success in this rescue operation this weekend?
The President. Number one, you have to have a lot of courage to do it, because the chances of doing it were very small, successfully. And it's amazing that we had nobody even injured. It's amazing.
It never happens. When pilots go down in war and they're in tough territory—Vietnam and places like Iran, that are tough. They know how to fight. They're nasty. Very rarely do you go in, because you're going to send 200 people in on a mission, and that mission will likely be unsuccessful. You're going to get 1 person, and you're going to lose 200 people. So we did something that was risky, and it worked out amazingly well. We have a great military.
Q. Were you afraid you were going to lose them?
The President. It could have happened.
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. If it seems like diplomatic talks are picking up, are you willing to hold off on attacking critical infrastructure?
The President. Well, I want to see—I don't even want talk about it, because I've given them chances, and they haven't taken them. So I don't want to really talk to that. Okay?
Q. Mr. President, since you did move the deadline back a couple of times, are you prepared——
The President. Once.
Q. ——to move the deadline back again?
The President. Highly unlikely. They've had plenty of time. In fact, they asked for 7 days. I said: "I'm going to give you 10. But at the end of 10, all hell's going to break out if you don't get there."
So I doubt it.
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. Mr. President, do you expect Vice President Vance to continue to be talking to the intermediaries from Pakistan?
The President. Well, he is. And we have Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner talking. They're all unified, and they're all talking together. Yes.
Q. Do you expect the Vice President could be involved in an in-person meeting with officials?
The President. Could be. Could be.
Q. In the coming days?
The President. Could be. Could happen.
[At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Hispanic Americans
Q. [Inaudible] Do you have a message for Hispanic community on this Easter Monday?
The President. I love Hispanics. Happy Easter.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
The President's Advice on Fatherhood/The Importance of Religion
Q. President Trump, President Trump, what kind of advice do you have for a new or about-to-be father?
The President. Be good. Be faithful. Love your wife.
Are you still happily married? Is this you? Is this for you?
Q. Well, we've got a about-to-be father right there too, but——
The President. Where? Where?
Q. President Trump——
The President. My man. [Laughter] Oh, my man.
Q. Yes, he's about to be a father.
The President. He's one of my alltime favorites. You've got to be kidding. You're about to be a father? You've come a long way.
Q. Yes. [Laughter]
The President. He's always been fair.
[The President gestured toward Real America's Voice reporter Brian Glenn] And he's always been fair.
Q. What's——
The President. Went a little astray. No, not him. His girlfriend went a little astray. But these are minor details.
Q. This is really funny.
The President. I still——
Q. I will say, on the other side of that coin, we've got a fatherless problem in the United States. So many kids are growing up without a father, without a father figure. You combine that without the Heavenly Father being in a lot of their homes. That one-two punch is crushing a lot of these American families.
The President. Well, the second thing has a lot to do with the first. And we want to bring religion back into our country. Bringing religion—and we have.
[The President gestured toward Mr. Glenn]
You know, if you see what's going on, Brian said, there's a real resurgence in religion, and we like that.
How are you doing? Are you okay?
Q. I'm great. Good to see you. Happy Easter.
Real quickly—and thanks for your friendship, by the way.
The President. [Inaudible]
Rescued U.S. Servicemembers From Iran
Q. I appreciate that. You're going to talk about this——
The President. See, I didn't drop you. [Laughter]
Q. I know. Thank you.
The President. [Inaudible] No, because I had to say it.
Q. I never stopped supporting you. Never.
You're going to talk about it today at 1 o'clock, but how great was that rescue mission? Some people say they've never seen it before by the military.
The President. So there's a theory that it's never happened, because it's two pilots. It was two. And remember, the first day, we went into an open desert and that helicopter had so many bullets. You would have respected helicopters then. You would have said, "No way it could stay."
Q. Right.
The President. And it's loaded up with bullets. That's why we had to go a different way with the other one. The other one was tougher because it was, you know, longer—the timing and the mountain—the mountainous terrain. He was amazing, because he was able to get to a place and to climb—when you're injured, to be able to climb that high—it was really incredible. But they're both doing good. They say it has never really been done before—for two. It's been done on occasion for one, but two—when a plane goes down into truly hostile territory, you would rate that on the top-of-the-line hostile.
Q. Of course.
The President. You would say, "Can't be much tougher." Tough people. Tough fighters. And that's—that was central, right there. That was central. That was Iran-plus.
Q. Yes.
The President. And when planes go down in territories—whether it's Vietnam or Iran, and—you know, you sort of equate the level of fighting ability, I would say you rarely go in, because you have to—you know, we had 200 people go in there. And because of the location, because of the way you are, you're surrounded by guns all over the place. Guns, missiles, and everything.
You could lose 200 people for the sake of getting 1.
Q. Right.
The President. So, as much as we want to get our wounded and get our people out of there—we want to do it badly—but it just doesn't happen that much. I mean, I said: "Let's go. Let's do it." Very risky, because we could have lost a hundred to 200 people in order to get 1.
Q. Could have went the other way.
The President. And it went other way.
Q. Do you think they're going to make a movie out of this, Mr. President?
The President. They want to. I've heard they want to.
Q. Is Melania going to direct it?
The President. She should star in it. [Laughter]
Q. Who do you want to play yourself, President?
The President. She'd be better starring in it.
Q. Mr. President, who do you want to play yourself in the movie?
The President. I pick the best looking guy around. Doesn't—if he——
Q. What about yourself, sir?
The President. If he can't act——
Q. What about yourself?
The President. ——that's okay.
Q. [Inaudible]
The President. I want the best looking guy. I don't care if he can act. [Laughter]
Venezuela/Rescued U.S. Servicemembers From Iran/Iranian Oil Supply
Q. [Inaudible]—the fact that you were able to authorize the search-and-rescue operation, the fact that it was so dangerous, the fact that it was successful—what message does that send to Iran as this deadline to come to a deal about the lethality of our military capabilities?
The President. Well, I think they—they've seen this for the last 40 days. There is no military. Look at what we did with Venezuela and how well that's worked out. We're taking in hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, and it's been an amazing relationship. We get along. It's best thing that ever happened to Venezuela. They're back on track. They're doing more business—even though we're essentially a partnership—on the oil. They're doing more business now in Venezuela than they've ever done before. Money's coming in like it's never come in before. It's amazing.
And frankly, we could do the same here, because if I had my wish, I would like to be able—I would just like to take the oil. But I don't know that the American public wants that. They want us to go in, do what we have to do, and get out.
You know what we went in for a very simple reason. And not regime change, but we got regime change. This is a whole different regime. This is a different group of people. They're more moderate. They're smarter. Much smarter.
And you know, we blew up one regime, and we blew up another regime, and now we're dealing with a third. And it is more moderate. It's better. But we didn't do it for that. We—it seems to be a byproduct. We did it for a simple reason. You know what that is? No nuclear weapon. And they will never have a nuclear weapon.
Now, on top of that, we've decimated their military. We've knocked out their—their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Most of their missiles are gone. Most of their drones are gone. We have done a hell of a job. And their leadership is gone. Their radar is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone.
And they'll get a lucky shot off. And you know, if you shoot enough shots into the air, you're going to hit something. And that's what happened.
But our military is great. We built a military that's great. I rebuilt the military in my first term, and I'm using it in my second term.
Artemis II Lunar Observation Mission/National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Q. And sir, do you have a message for the crew of Artemis II——
The President. I do.
Q. ——as they get ready to do a lunar flyover?
The President. I think they're fantastic. You know, uh, Jared—and not Jared. This is my other Jared. [Laughter] I have two Jareds in my life, right?
Jared's done a fantastic job at NASA, and he's been amazing. And everybody told me he was going to be good. I didn't know he'd be that good. And he's got that thing hopping. He's got NASA hopping.
And you know, he was an astronaut. He was—he's done this. Very successful guy. And he's doing a great job.
U.S. 250th Anniversary Celebration
Q. Does it add to the meaning that this is happening in the 250th year of American independence?
The President. Yes, yes. Well, it's happening then, and it's also happening in a time where we're in a very, very powerful—you could call it a military operation. People like me to call it that because they don't me—like me using the word "war." Because they say, "He said 'war.'" But let's call it a military operation.
But no, Jared's doing a great job. NASA is amazing. Actually amazing. And that's some ship.
And so risky. Personally, I wouldn't want to do it. [Laughter] Okay? We all have courage. I would prefer not to.
Q. Thank you, sir.
U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. President Trump, did you ever think that you'd see the Trump derangement syndrome is so bad that you've got people on Twitter—looks like they're even rooting for Iran?
The President. Yes, they're sick people. They're sick people. And they're weak people. You know, people that are rooting for—they're weak, ineffective people. They lost. But you put them up in front—put them right in front of me right here, and they wouldn't open their mouth. [Laughter] They wouldn't open their mouth. They're very weak, ineffective people.
Planned Triumphal Arch
Q. On your arch, Mr. President. Pretty significant legal challenge to your arch. Do you think that you can get that built, or at least start building it before you leave office?
The President. Who's doing a legal challenge?
Q. It's a group of veterans, sir.
The President. A group of veterans?
Q. Because they—it obstructs the viewshed between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
The President. You've got to be kidding. This was approved a hundred years ago. You know that? Never got built. It was stopped by a thing called the Civil War.
They've been—that circle has sat there vacant for a hundred, like 150 years or something.
They tried to do it again in around 1901. But it never happened.
No, I think we're doing very well. I think it's going very good. And veterans are the ones that should like it. It's called a triumphal arc. It's in honor of the veterans.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
Are you going to be at the news conference?
Q. Yes, I will.
U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. Mr. President. Mr. President, what would you say to the people who might be concerned that bombing civilian power plants could be a war crime?
The President. I'm not worried about it. I—you know what's a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon. Allowing a sick country with demented leadership have a nuclear weapon. That's a war crime.
And if I allowed that to happen, like seven other Presidents did—every President said—you know, many of them are saying—off the record, and they're saying behind the scene, they should have done this a long time ago. Other—for 47 years, this has been going on. And every one of those Presidents should have done it.
And actually, as you know, off the record—they're doing it off the record because they haven't got the courage to say it—those Presidents have given me a lot of credit.
This should have been done by Obama, should have been done by Clinton, should have been done by the Bushes. This should have been done. And it would have been a lot easier if it was done a long time ago, right? Do you agree with me?
Q. Yes, sir.
The President. You know the war crime? War crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
And take a look at countries. Take a look—if they would've had a nuclear weapon, they would've used it. You'd have no Israel. You'd have no Middle East right now. And they would have been coming here. I'm not going to let that would have been a war crime.
Thank you.
NOTE: The President spoke at 11:52 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steven C. Witkoff; former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Artemis II crewmembers Reid Wiseman, commander, Victor J. Glover, pilot, and Christina H. Koch, mission specialist, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. He also referred to his son-in-law, U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Jared C. Kushner.
Categories: Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, White House. Locations: Washington, DC.
Names: Bush, George W.; Clinton, William J.; Glover, Victor J.; Greene, Marjorie Taylor; Hansen, Jeremy; Isaacman, Jared; Koch, Christina H.; Kushner, Jared C.; Obama, Barack; Vance, James D. "J.D."; Wiseman, Reid; Witkoff, Steven C.
Subjects: America's 250th birthday celebration; Easter; Iran, diplomatic engagement with U.S.; Iran, human rights issues; Iran, nuclear weapons development; Iran, rescue of U.S. servicemembers; Iran, U.S. airstrikes on nuclear facilities; Iran, U.S. military operations; Moon exploration; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; News media, Presidential interviews; Triumphal Arch, design and construction; U.S. Special Envoy for Peace; U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions; Venezuela, relations with U.S.; Venezuela, U.S. military capture and exfiltration of President Maduro; Vice President.
DCPD Number: DCPD202600232.