President Donald Trump has boasted that “nobody knows what I’m doing” when it comes to Iran as a MAGA civil war rages over the prospect of a U.S. military attack.
Speaking with reporters for the first time since meeting with his national security council on Tuesday, the president refused to say whether the U.S. is moving closer to helping Israel strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question,” Trump said, mockingly.
“Will you strike the Iranian nuclear component, and what time exactly? Sir, sir, would you strike it? Will you please inform us so we can be there and watch?
“I mean, you don’t know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it; I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump’s comments come as a MAGA civil war has been brewing for days between pro-Israel war hawks such as Laura Loomer and Mark Levin on one side, and America First firebrands such as Charlie Kirk and Jack Posobiec on the other.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson also entered the fray last week, calling Trump complicit and suggesting that the administration “drop Israel [and] let them fight their own wars.”
Carlson also clashed with Texas Senator Ted Cruz this week, lashing out over Cruz’s support for military intervention in Iran despite his apparent lack of knowledge about the country.
While a U.S. attack on Iran could have serious consequences for the region, Trump’s rhetoric has shifted considerably in recent days, with the president admitting that his patience is wearing thin on finding a diplomatic solution to stop Iran from building its nuclear arsenal.
On Wednesday, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hit back at the president for his “absurd rhetoric” after Trump demanded Iran’s “complete surrender” and issued an ominous warning on X: “The US entering this matter (war) is 100% to its own detriment. The damage will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”
But Trump doubled down on his push for Iran to surrender, telling reporters that Tehran should have negotiated weeks ago. Only now were they rethinking their strategy, he said.
“They even suggested coming to the White House,” he claimed.
A U.S. defense official told the Daily Beast it was moving the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East to protect U.S. forces in the region.
Vice President JD Vance also posted on X that after showing “remarkable restraint,” Trump “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment.”
As the president weighed options, some Democrats on Capitol Hill called for Congress to act.
Senator Tim Kaine introduced a resolution to prevent the U.S. from using military force against Iran without congressional approval while several others backed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ bill to prevent the use of funds for military force against Iran without congressional authorization.
But Democrats were deeply divided over the response to Iran. Senator John Fetterman, who has often bucked his party to fiercely defend Israel, said he would vote against Kaine’s resolution.
He told reporters he was a “hell yes” on the U.S. making preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune rejected that the president would need authorization from Congress to strike Iran.
“I think right now the president’s within his authorities,” Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. “He obviously has a lot of authorities as Commander in Chief to respond to incidents that happen around the world.”
Thune said if it goes on for a period of time, there would be discussions on what the role of Congress should be and whether it needed to take action.
“I think right now, let’s hope and pray for the best outcome,” he said.
Senate Foreign Committee Chair Jim Risch emphasized on Tuesday “this is not our war” and praised the president for threading the needle when it came to Iran.
While the House is not in session this week, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was joined by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to introduce a resolution to prohibit the U.S. from getting involved in the conflict.
“This is not our war,” Massie wrote in a post. “Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”
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