Trump rejects ‘no new wars’ clash with Iran decision

Trump rejects – In an NBC interview taped in Wisconsin, President Donald Trump dismissed criticism that launching the war with Iran this year violated his “no new wars” campaign message, saying he “didn’t guarantee” there would be no wars. He also defended a now-scrapped $1.7

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump dismissed criticism that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed the “no new wars” promise he made while campaigning for the White House again.

In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” taped in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Trump was asked about the contradiction between his repeated refrain during the 2024 campaign and the reality of a conflict that began Feb. 28.

Trump’s response was sharp. He said he “didn’t guarantee” there would be no wars if he returned to office and challenged the premise that he had made a binding pledge.

“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump said.

Pressed on the campaign message, Trump also framed the fight as temporary rather than open-ended. “I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months,” he said, referring to the war with Iran.

He added that his actions were aimed at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying he was “doing the world a service” and “doing our country a service” for that reason.

But the interview did not smooth over the inconsistencies. Trump repeated a contradictory message elsewhere in the interview, saying U.S. strikes last year “obliterated” Iranian nuclear sites. He also defended his decision in his first term to withdraw from Democratic President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran—an agreement he has heavily criticized—without negotiating the “better deal” he has promised to reach.

“It takes years to do these things,” Trump said.

That broader argument—about time, leverage, and deterrence—ran alongside a second set of disputes that turned confrontational in the closing minutes.

California vote claims, and a judge-backed fraud probe track

Trump’s comments came as California’s vote count has stretched on longer than usual, leaving additional late-tallied Democratic-leaning mail ballots to further shape outcomes for his preferred candidates for governor and Los Angeles mayor.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that changes to totals as late ballots are counted are evidence of fraud, even though late changes largely reflect the slow vote-counting process.

In the NBC interview, he kept returning to the theme of “cheating” and a “rigged election.” The exchange grew tense as Kristen Welker pressed him for proof.

“All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look,” Trump said.

“But that’s not evidence,” Welker responded.

“And I listen. And I listen to people. And let’s see what happens,” Trump replied.

While he made the claim without evidence, Trump’s remarks echoed the same conspiratorial frame that has followed him since Tuesday’s primary.

The Trump-appointed top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles said Friday that his office had opened “multiple election fraud investigations.”

Anti-weaponization fund scrapped after oversight concerns

Trump also defended plans for an “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” a proposal that has already been abandoned by the Department of Justice.

The fund—designed to compensate allies of Trump—was set at $1.776 billion and tied to a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that DOJ was scrapping the plan. That move came after the plan was paused by a judge and after both Democrats and some Republicans raised concerns about the fund’s lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts being made to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

In his interview, Trump told NBC he thought the fund was “a great idea” and that he would be “disappointed” if it were not approved.

When asked whether he believed people who attacked police officers on Jan. 6 should receive a payout, Trump said, “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.” He then began making unfounded and false claims about the riot and those who stormed the Capitol.

Trump, on his first day back in office in January 2025, granted a sweeping pardon to more than 1,500 people prosecuted over Jan. 6.

Rain, then a sudden end

The tone of the interview shifted even before the hardest questions were reached. The tape was conducted in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, before Trump was set to speak at a roundtable event with farmers. Heavy rain interrupted the session repeatedly as waves of heavy rain fell on the metal roof of the barn where the taping took place. making it difficult at times to hear.

As the interview neared its end, Welker pressed Trump on the settlement fund and on his claims about the California election.

Trump raised his voice and began calling Welker and the media “crooked,” attacking her credibility and complaining about what he called “the fake, dirty press.” As Welker tried to switch subjects, Trump continued on. Cross talk broke out.

Trump ended the interview by saying, “Let’s call it quits.” He then took off his microphone, telling Welker, “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” He said he had given the interview enough time, stood up, and walked away.

Welker said during the broadcast that she spoke to Trump on Saturday. She said he agreed the rain had caused complications and that he would do another interview in the future.

For Trump, the argument about Iran’s war and his “no new wars” campaign message didn’t yield a clear reconciliation—especially as he continued to draw lines between what he promised as a candidate and what he said he could or could not guarantee as president.

Donald Trump Iran war no new wars Meet the Press Kristen Welker California primary election fraud investigations Todd Blanche Anti-Weaponization Fund IRS tax returns leak Jan. 6 pardons Chippewa Falls Wisconsin Barack Obama nuclear deal