EditTrump seizes on rescue of downed airman to recast unpopular Iran war, while blasting allies for abandoning U.S.
The U.S. President openly mocked European partners for refusing to help clear the strait of Hormuz or support U.S. and Israeli operations
President Donald Trump was on the verge of a major political and military crisis in the five-week-old Iran war, confronted with the rare spectacle of an American airman shot down and stranded deep inside enemy territory.
Then came the daring Easter weekend rescue. What could have been a humiliating debacle became, in Trump’s hands, a triumphant talking point – one he used not only to project strength but to intensify his blistering criticism of U.S. allies who have refused to join the fight.
Standing before cameras on Monday, Trump recast the perilous operation as a providential military triumph, leaning heavily into its cinematic details to rally war-weary Americans. He repeatedly pivoted from the heroism of U.S. forces to sharp rebukes of allies he accused of freeloading off American power while doing nothing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz or share the burden of the conflict.
“We have incredibly talented people, and if the time comes, we move heaven and earth to bring them home safely,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “God was watching us.” But he made clear his frustration extended far beyond Iran: “Our so-called allies — they’re not allies, they’re takers. They won’t lift a finger. France won’t even let our planes fly over. The UK refused to get involved. What good is NATO if they leave us to do everything alone?”
It was the second time in less than a week that Trump had taken to the airwaves to deliver his unfiltered message on Iran, acting as both commander-in-chief and chief publicist in classic Trump style. He has struggled to sell the bombing campaign to the public, including in a muddled prime-time address last week and a profanity-laced social media tirade on Easter Sunday that raised fresh questions about his communications.
The scene in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room offered vintage Trump: seizing a high-profile success to tell the story on his terms, while using it as a platform to lash out at partners he views as disloyal.
Rescue details dominate briefing
Trump spent much of the hour-long session detailing the intricate rescue, conceding it had been bolstered by luck. Administration officials had helped shape vivid media accounts over the weekend. He described a bleeding officer who evaded capture for two days in rugged Iranian mountains, special operations teams scaling peaks, and aircraft struggling in wet sand before crews destroyed equipment to prevent it falling into enemy hands.
“Hundreds of people could have been killed,” Trump said, noting some military advisers had urged him against the risky mission. He pressed Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine on the scale of the operation: “How many men did you send altogether?” When Caine replied he’d prefer to keep it secret, Trump answered for him: “It was hundreds and hundreds of these incredible people.”
Though Trump reveled in the military’s prowess – even suggesting at an earlier White House event that the rescue could someday become a Hollywood movie – he also threatened to jail a journalist from an unnamed outlet who had first reported one airman’s rescue before the second was secured, calling it a security breach.
Frustration with allies reaches boiling point
Trump’s criticism of allies dominated large portions of the briefing, far more than in previous appearances. He openly mocked European partners for refusing to help clear the Hormuz strait or support U.S. and Israeli operations.
He singled out the United Kingdom for “refusing to get involved in the decapitation of Iran,” France for blocking military overflights to Israel, and NATO broadly as a “paper tiger” that has left America isolated. Trump warned he is “strongly considering” pulling the U.S. out of the alliance after the war, telling reporters the lack of support has “destroyed” NATO in his eyes and that countries reliant on Hormuz oil should “build up some delayed courage,” seize the strait themselves, or simply “buy from the U.S.” instead of expecting American protection.
“I don’t care about critics,” he snapped when asked about his mental fitness. “Our allies are the real problem. They want our protection, our oil, our everything – but when we need them, where are they?”
Soon-expiring ultimatum and threat of new strikes
As the press conference wound down, Trump turned to his rapidly approaching deadline for Iran: an ultimatum set to expire at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday. He has demanded Tehran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating new U.S. strikes on the country’s entire power grid, all major bridges, and other critical civilian infrastructure. Trump warned the attacks could come “in one night – maybe tomorrow night,” vowing to send Iran “back to the Stone Ages” within hours if the deadline passes without a deal.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one,” he declared, adding that “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again.”
Administration officials have signalled the coming strikes, if ordered, would be significantly heavier than previous rounds and could dramatically escalate the conflict just as Trump seeks to portray the rescue as proof of inevitable U.S. victory.
As he wrapped up the session, Trump sought to frame the war as all-but-won. “We won, OK?” he said. “They are militarily defeated.”
With Reuters, edited by g.g.
Caption: US President Donald J Trump calls on reporters during a media briefing on Iran from the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 6 April 2026. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
Updated: April 7, 2026 - 05:42
