While taking questions from reporters on Thursday, President Donald Trump blindsided Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with made a joke referencing the 1941 surprise attack initiated by the Empire of Japan on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The question, from one of the reporters in the Oval Office, was about the current joint operation in Iran undertaken by the United States and Israel — specifically, why President Trump had not spoken with allies in Europe or Japan prior to initiating an attack against the Iranian regime.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Q: &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?&#8221;
President Trump: &#8220;We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn&#8217;t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/esV9iyvMiV">pic.twitter.com/esV9iyvMiV</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2034667305318187239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Japan and U.S. are very good friends,&#8221; the reporter began. &#8220;But one question: why didn&#8217;t you tell U.S. Allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran? So we are very confused about — we, Japanese citizens —&#8221;
&#8220;Well, one thing, you don&#8217;t want to signal too much,&#8221; Trump replied, arguing that it was unwise to give away too much of the planning before taking military action. &#8220;You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn&#8217;t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn&#8217;t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay? Right?&#8221;
Prime Minister Takaichi appeared to be slightly uncomfortable as several around the room began to laugh.
&#8220;He&#8217;s asking me — no, you believe in surprise I think much more so than us,&#8221; Trump continued, pivoting back to Iran. &#8220;But we had to surprise them and we did. And because of that surprise, we knocked out — the first two days, we probably knocked out 50% of what we — and much more than we anticipated.&#8221;
&#8220;So if I go and tell everybody about it, it&#8217;s no longer a surprise, right?&#8221; the president concluded.

President Trump Hosts Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi At White House

Trump Defends Keeping Allies In The Dark With Unexpected Pearl Harbor Quip

Donald Trump

Iran

Japan

Media

Military

Pearl Harbor

Politics

War Secretary Pete Hegseth called on the American public to lift up members of the United States Armed Forces — particularly those who might be in harm&#8217;s way — and received immediate criticism from CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan. But Hegseth&#8217;s request is far from unprecedented.
&#8220;Please pray for them, every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2034605561983959295?s=20">Hegseth said</a>, closing out a Thursday morning press briefing on Iran alongside other military leaders.
Brennan, anchor of CBS&#8217; &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; responded by <a href="https://x.com/margbrennan/status/2034604792157192668">saying</a>, &#8220;The Secretary of Defense tells the American public to pray for our troops on bended knee and invoke Jesus&#8217; name &#8230;&#8221;
Brennan also accused the administration of using &#8220;religious references as justification for war,&#8221; responding to Hegseth&#8217;s comments describing the Iranian regime&#8217;s strategy as &#8220;a violent, messianic Islamist ideology chasing some sort of apocalyptic endgame.&#8221;
But prayer on the battlefield — and calls to prayer from both military and political leaders for those engaged in the fight — is nothing new.
On June 6, 1944, then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a radio address during which he invited the American people to <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/prayer-d-day">join him in prayer</a> for the Allied Forces as they stormed the beaches near Normandy, France. He finished that prayer by asking them to pray continuously for those men, both day and night, until their objective had been reached.
&#8220;Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity,&#8221; Roosevelt began. &#8220;Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.&#8221;
Roosevelt went on to pray for strength and courage in battle and acknowledged that many of those for whom he prayed would not ever return home.
&#8220;Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.&#8221;
Months later, with Allied efforts to liberate Europe well underway, <a href="https://www.historyonthenet.com/when-patton-enlisted-the-entire-third-army-to-pray-for-fair-weather">General George S. Patton</a> stood ready to lead his Third Army into battle — but the weather was a problem. In early December of 1944, just days before Patton arrived at the besieged town of Bastogne, Belgium, the general called Monsignor James H. O’Neill, the head chaplain: &#8220;This is General Patton; do you have a good prayer for weather? We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.&#8221;
Patton&#8217;s deputy chief of staff, Colonel Paul Harkins, described the conversation that followed:
<blockquote>
Patton: &#8220;Chaplain, I want you to publish a prayer for good weather. I’m tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans. See if we can’t get God to work on our side.”
O’Neill: “Sir, it’s going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying.”
Patton: “I don’t care if it takes a flying carpet. I want the praying done.”
O’Neill: “Yes, sir. May I say, General, that it usually isn’t a customary thing among men of my profession to pray for clear weather to kill fellow men.”
Patton: “Chaplain, are you trying to teach me theology or are you the Chaplain of the Third Army? I want a prayer.”
</blockquote>
The resulting prayer was printed on cards and distributed to as many of Patton&#8217;s men as possible: &#8220;Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.&#8221;
Patton later explained his emphasis on prayer to O&#8217;Neill, saying that he believed men could work and plan down to the last detail, but there was always an unknown factor in play: &#8220;I call it God. God has his part, or margin, in everything.&#8221;
&#8220;I wish you would put out a Training Letter on this subject of Prayer to all the chaplains; write about nothing else, just the importance of prayer,&#8221; Patton directed O&#8217;Neill. &#8220;Let me see it before you send it. We’ve got to get not only the chaplains but every man in the Third Army to pray. We must ask God to stop these rains. These rains are that margin that holds defeat or victory. If we all pray, it will be like what Dr. Carrel said, it will be like plugging in on a current whose source is in Heaven. I believe that prayer completes that circuit. It is power.&#8221;
When General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President of the United States, he too raised the nation and those alongside him in its leadership in private prayer. The <a style="font-size: 16px;" href="https://wallbuilders.com/resource/dwight-d-eisenhowers-inaugural-prayer/">handwritten words he prayed</a> before his inauguration in 1953 can be found at his presidential library.
&#8220;As we stand here, at this moment, my associates in the Executive Branch of government join me in beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng and their fellow citizens everywhere. Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby and by the laws of this land,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people, regardless of station, race or calling. May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who hold to differing political beliefs, so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and for Thy glory. Amen.&#8221;
One of the most famous examples of such prayer might be as <a href="https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/prayer.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq3Fz4IWMbmDeWBfTzsQIhhby64psFLCaVW9wecIYn3p2rJrnsJ#google_vignette">much myth</a> as historical fact, but the story of then-General George Washington kneeling to pray at Valley Forge has nonetheless persisted as well. The story has several versions throughout history — none of which have ever been definitively confirmed or debunked — all suggesting that Washington knelt alone to pray for his beleaguered troops during the brutal winter as they camped just outside of Philadelphia. Different accounts claim that either the Marquis de Lafayette or a local resident happened upon the general in prayer, but the overall takeaway is the same: multiple accounts agree that Washington was known to leave the camp and spend time in solitude, whether that time was used for prayer or simply quiet reflection.

Hegseth Confirmation Hearing TW

Left Targets Hegseth For Asking Americans To Pray — The History Lesson They’re Ignoring

CBS News

Christianity

Dwight D. Eisenhower

George Patton

Pete Hegseth

Prayer

CNN data analyst Harry Enten is pushing back on claims of a growing fracture within the Republican base, arguing that new polling shows continued and near-total loyalty to President Donald Trump among self-identified MAGA voters, even as a high-profile rift plays out on the right over Iran.
Speaking on CNN, Enten pointed to what he described as a number that “jumps off the screen”: Trump’s approval rating among MAGA Republicans sits at 100%, with zero percent disapproving. “You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know you can’t go higher than 100%,” Enten said, comparing Trump’s standing within the movement to the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Enten also dismissed the idea that the figure is being inflated by an exodus of disaffected voters. According to the polling he cited, “The MAGA base within the GOP is not shrinking. If anything, it is slightly larger,” rising from 28% to 30%.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
There&#8217;s no break in MAGA. Trump&#8217;s approval with MAGA GOP is literally 100%.
90% of MAGA GOP approve of US military action in Iran.
Those who disapprove of Trump are not MAGA at this point.
Importantly: MAGA makes up the same share of voters as it did when Trump won in 2024. <a href="https://t.co/LqMRHm8t1B">pic.twitter.com/LqMRHm8t1B</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/2034294893929968050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But that analysis is colliding with an increasingly visible backlash from prominent voices on the right, who argue that Trump’s posture toward Iran cuts against core promises that defined the MAGA movement. Tucker Carlson blasted the policy in stark terms, <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270">calling it</a> “absolutely disgusting and evil,” adding: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’s war. This war’s not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives.”
Carlson further warned the conflict “will be catastrophic” and could “end Trump’s presidency” or “shuffle the deck in a profound way.” Donald Trump responded directly, <a href="https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2029650210125652143">saying</a> Carlson “has lost his way” and declaring “he’s not MAGA.”
In the same camp, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argued the move represents a fundamental break from the movement’s original platform.“We said on every single rally stage, no more foreign wars, no more regime change … this is a complete betrayal of those campaign promises,” Greene <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/16/politics/video/cnn-sitroom-pamela-brown-mtg-marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-president-war-iran-campaign">said</a>. “This is absolutely absurd. And it’s 100% a betrayal to what MAGA was supposed to be when we voted in 2024, and it’s turned into some perverted, deranged version of MAGA now that nobody wants.” 
Despite that rhetoric, Enten argued the available data does not show a measurable break within Trump’s base. Citing Republican views on potential U.S. military action in Iran, Enten said 90% of MAGA Republicans approve, compared to 54% of non-MAGA Republicans. Among MAGA voters, just 5% expressed disapproval.
“Those who disapprove… they ain’t MAGA,” Enten said.
The disconnect highlights a broader question emerging from the debate: whether the current divide represents a genuine fracture within the Republican electorate, or a loud but limited conflict among high-profile figures and online activists.
Critics of Enten’s analysis could argue that topline polling may not fully capture shifts in enthusiasm or intensity, particularly on an issue like foreign policy that has historically divided Republican factions. Supporters, meanwhile, can point to the numbers as evidence that Trump’s hold on the movement remains intact. For now, the data and the discourse appear to be telling two different stories, one of consolidation, and one of conflict, with the true state of the MAGA coalition to be tested in the midterms this November.

CNN Pollster Admits It: Reports Of MAGA’s Death Have Been Grossly Exaggerated

Polls

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used a St. Patrick&#8217;s Day event to complain about &#8220;genocide&#8221; in Gaza, arguing that the Irish and Palestinians could relate over their shared histories marked by oppression.
Mamdani joined former Irish President Mary Robinson at a breakfast honoring Irish New Yorkers, and he used his remarks to praise Robinson for her support for Palestinians.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mamdani rips &#8216;genocide&#8217; in Palestine during St. Patrick’s Day event <a href="https://t.co/qXhjOmqn2e">https://t.co/qXhjOmqn2e</a> <a href="https://t.co/2jP4BHzOWp">pic.twitter.com/2jP4BHzOWp</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2033917935010390095?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I say this as over the past few years, as we’ve witnessed a genocide unfold before our eyes, there has been deafening silence from so many. For those who have long cared about universal human rights and the extension of them to Palestinians, silence, however, is nothing new – for Palestinians are so often left to weep alone,&#8221; Mamdani said. &#8220;Yet former President Robinson has never been silent.&#8221;
&#8220;The story of the Irish, both in Ireland and in New York City, is at one time a story of oppression, of subjugation, and of discrimination,&#8221; Mamdani said, arguing that it was &#8220;no coincidence&#8221; that the Irish would see their own history reflected in Gaza. &#8220;Who can better understand those who weep than those who have been made to weep for so long?&#8221;
Robinson, who served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997, followed Mamdani&#8217;s lead, and after saying that St. Patrick&#8217;s Day was a time to celebrate Irish culture and traditions, it was also a time to remember all those who may yet be &#8220;living under the shadow of war and suffering.&#8221;
&#8220;For many Irish people, these realities resonate deeply, as the mayor has said. Our own history holds memories of famine, exile and conflict. Perhaps because of that, many recognize echoes of Ireland’s past and the suffering of others today and the pain of displacement and the enduring human longing for dignity, justice, and self-determination,&#8221; she said.
Mamdani referenced Irish support for a Palestinian state in his official message to New Yorkers as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Happy St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, New York. <a href="https://t.co/DPCGPlFbE2">pic.twitter.com/DPCGPlFbE2</a>
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2033925083853385985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Celebrity Sightings In New York – March 17, 2026

NYC’s Mamdani Uses St. Paddy’s Day Event To Complain About ‘Genocide’ In Gaza

NYC's Mamdani Uses St. Paddy's Day Event To Complain About 'Genocide' In Gaza

Ireland

Irish

New York City

St. Patrick's Day

Zohran Mamdani

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard laid out her defense for President Donald Trump and his decision to take action, alongside Israel, against the Iranian regime.
Gabbard argued that it was her job to ensure that the president had the best and most accurate information possible, but it was Trump&#8217;s responsibility alone to determine what does and does not constitute an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; against the United States.
&#8220;Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country,&#8221; Gabbard posted on Tuesday.
&#8220;The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.&#8221;
Gabbard&#8217;s statement comes just hours after Joe Kent announced his resignation as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, claiming that there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States and that Trump had been pushed by Israel into waging war against the Iranian regime.
Kent, according to an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-wasnt-involved-in-iran-war-planning-intel-official-says">intelligence official</a> who spoke with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mary Margaret Olohan, had been excluded from planning and briefings regarding the war with Iran. That same official refuted earlier reporting stating that Gabbard had been advised to fire Kent, but had failed to do so.
&#8220;Intelligence official tells @realDailyWire that it’s true that Joe Kent wasn’t part of the planning of the Iran war or briefings on the war,” Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2033953793629401411" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. “It is not true that DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard was asked by the White House to fire Kent, source says— if she had been asked to do so, she would have fired him.”

Karoline Leavitt Holds Daily White House Press Briefing

Tulsi Gabbard Sides With Trump On Iran, Underscores Commander-In-Chief Role

Tulsi Gabbard Defends Trump's Decision To Take Action In Iran

Tulsi Gabbard

An intelligence official confirmed reports that Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday from his post as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, had been left out of the planning and subsequent briefings on the military action in Iran.
The official told The Daily Wire later on Tuesday that Kent — who asserted in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-intel-official-joe-kent-quits-over-iran-strikes-claims-israel-controls-trump">resignation letter</a> that there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; directed at the United States by the Iranian regime — had not been privy to the planning and briefings in which such a threat might have been discussed. The official also refuted several reports suggesting that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had been advised by the White House to fire Kent and had failed to do so.
&#8220;NEW: Intelligence official tells @realDailyWire that it’s true that Joe Kent wasn’t part of the planning of the Iran war or briefings on the war,&#8221; Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2033953793629401411">reported</a>. &#8220;It is not true that DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard was asked by the White House to fire Kent, source says— if she had been asked to do so, she would have fired him.&#8221;
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also suggested during a Tuesday press conference that Kent could not possibly have attended the briefings on Iran.
&#8220;I&#8217;m on the Gang of 8. I got all the briefings. We all understood that there was clearly an imminent threat, that Iran was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability, and they were building missiles at a pace that no one in the region could keep up with,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;Iran was building up ballistic missiles at such a rapid pace, and we knew that their plan was to fire them upon Americans.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn&#8217;t in those briefings clearly,&#8221; Johnson added. &#8220;They had exquisite intelligence that we understood this was a serious moment for us. Had the president waited, I am personally convinced, that we would have mass casualties of Americans, service members and others, and our installations would have been dramatically damaged.&#8221;
Trump also <a href="https://x.com/JennieSTaer/status/2033952762602373353">responded</a> to Kent&#8217;s resignation on Tuesday, saying, &#8220;I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.&#8221;

Kristi Noem And Joseph Kent Testify To House Committee On Threats To The Homeland

Joe Kent Wasn’t Involved In Iran War Planning, Intel Official Says

President Donald Trump took a brief question from a French reporter on Monday, and immediately proceeded to jab at French President Emmanuel Macron as he answered.
The reporter asked Trump whether or not he&#8217;d been in contact with Macron about plans to force the Iranian regime back and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — in order to allow oil tankers and other ships to pass — and Trump said that Macron had rated an &#8220;eight&#8221; on a scale from zero to ten.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reporter: Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;Yeah, I have spoken to him. He&#8217;s been, on a scale of 0-10, I&#8217;d say he&#8217;s been an 8. Not perfect — but it&#8217;s France.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/VqCGUHUFDa">pic.twitter.com/VqCGUHUFDa</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2033590292209860933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?&#8221; the reporter asked.
&#8220;Yeah, I have spoken to him. He&#8217;s been, on a scale of 0-10, I&#8217;d say he&#8217;s been an 8. Not perfect — but it&#8217;s France,&#8221; Trump said with a laugh. &#8220;We don&#8217;t expect perfect.&#8221;
The reporter, undeterred, forged ahead: &#8220;Are you confident that France will help with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz?&#8221;
Trump nodded. &#8220;Yeah, I mean, sure. He&#8217;s going to — I think he&#8217;s going to help, I&#8217;ll let you know. I spoke to him yesterday.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t do a hard sell on them, because my attitude is we don&#8217;t need anybody,&#8221; the president continued. &#8220;We&#8217;re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world; we don&#8217;t need them!&#8221;
Trump went on to say that, in some cases, he asked foreign leaders for their assistance not because he thought he needed the help, but because he wanted to see how they might react to the question: &#8220;I&#8217;ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won&#8217;t be there. Not all of them, but they won&#8217;t be there.&#8221;
The president went on to say that he&#8217;d been shocked when the United Kingdom had seemed reluctant to send ships.
&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to do it, we&#8217;ve been with you, you&#8217;re our oldest ally,&#8221; Trump aimed his response at the United Kingdom. &#8220;And we spend a lot of money on NATO and all of these things to protect you.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-FRANCE-G7-SUMMIT

‘Not Perfect, But It’s France’: Trump Uses French Reporter’s Question To Jab At Macron

'Not Perfect, But It's France': Trump Uses French Reporter's Question To Jab At Macron

Emmanuel Macron

Global Politics

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed reports that President Trump’s meeting with China would be delayed if Beijing did not agree to secure the Strait of Hormuz. 
“There’s a false narrative out there,” said Bessent. “If the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the President has demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz. If the meeting for some reason is rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics. The President wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war effort, and traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.” 
Bessent traveled to Paris to begin trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday to set the stage for President Trump’s state visit to Beijing at the end of March. The Treasury Secretary added he had a successful meeting with Lifeng, discussing China’s purchase commitments to the United States and the new tariff regime. 
Trump first announced his visit in late November after a phone call with China&#8217;s President Xi Jinping. Xi <a href="https://www.trumpstruth.org/statuses/33994?utm_source=chatgpt.com">invited</a> Trump to Beijing following their meeting in South Korea.
Bessent’s assurance that any delay to Trump’s visit would be logistical follows Beijing’s rejection of Trump’s suggestion that China deploy warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage through which more than one-fifth of the world’s oil supply travels.
When asked about the proposal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/china-rejects-trump-appeal-help-us-against-iran-11682132">said</a>, “China’s position is clear. We once again call on all sides to immediately cease military actions, avoid further escalation, and prevent regional turbulence from having a major impact on global economic growth.”
Along with not taking Trump up on his proposal, China has condemned the United States&#8217;s role in the attacks on Iran. However, George Chen, partner at the Asia Group, does not expect the issue to be a central topic during April&#8217;s talks. “U.S.-China relations are already complicated enough for President Trump and Xi to handle,&#8221; he <a href="https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/chinas-response-us-attack-iran-foreign-policy-130712305">said</a>. Adding Iran to the mix &#8220;won’t be something that both sides are keen to do.”
What will be central to the talks are tariffs. In response to the Supreme Court knocking down Trump&#8217;s sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the administration has turned to other trade authorities, including Section 122 tariffs and potential Section 301 tariffs led by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Section 122 allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 10 percent for 150 days without congressional approval. Section 301 tariffs, meanwhile, require a formal investigation conducted by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.
Before IEEPA was overturned, Trump could impose a levy as quickly as posting to Truth Social. But stripped of the power of IEEPA, Bessent says 301 will not be imposed until July, and he will need congressional action after 150 days for section 122. 
“We assume there will be very little change in Tariff revenue,” said Bessent. “The ultimate purpose of tariffs is to reshore production. At the end of the day, we want to reshore manufacturing in the US, especially strategic manufacturing.” Bessent said that goal also shaped the administration’s approach to trade talks with China. He added that the administration does not want to fully decouple from China, but does want to bring key strategic manufacturing back to the United States.
&nbsp;

President Trump Signs Executive Order In The Oval Office

Bessent Slams ‘False Narrative’ on Trump-China Talks

China

Scott Bessent

Joy Reid did a side-by-side comparison of the United States and Iran, and her overall takeaway was that if American women were better off than their Iranian counterparts, they were not better off by much.
Reid, who was ousted from her regular gig with liberal network MSNBC before NBC News jettisoned the now rebranded cable news network (MS NOW), argued that the United States had secret police just like Iran and was just as oppressive when it came to how women were treated — although she listed off the &#8220;oppressive&#8221; policies impacting American women and did not mention one of the many that affect Iranian women. The only real difference, she claimed, was that American oppression came at the hands of Christians and Iran&#8217;s oppressive regime was rooted in Islam.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Joy Reid: America is a Christian form of Iran &amp; women may have be better off there <a href="https://t.co/mDAheewOPU">pic.twitter.com/mDAheewOPU</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2033542969509191976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We get told, particularly when it comes to Arabs and Muslims and Africans, that people are just diabolically evil for no reason, right? That they do things because they hate our freedoms. We were told this about Iraq, that they just hated us for no damn reason at all,&#8221; Reid said, suggesting that the narrative was invented out of whole cloth in order to justify American actions.
&#8220;Now, I’m not saying that that regime is not bad, but, by the way, our regime is not good,&#8221; Reid continued. &#8220;Our regime has secret police. They have secret police. Our regime is oppressing women, taking away abortion rights, taking away women’s rights in like 26 states — some states where they’re trying to have the death penalty for having an abortion.&#8221;
Reid acknowledged briefly that the Iranian rulers &#8220;also oppress women,&#8221; but omitted the <a href="https://iranhumanrights.org/2025/03/gender-apartheid-in-iran-is-crushing-womens-lives-and-futures/">extent of that oppression</a>. A number of the regime&#8217;s laws — and the punishment for breaking them — only apply to women.
<ul>
<li>Women must adhere to a mandatory dress code that requires covering their hair, arms, and legs in public. The regime&#8217;s so-called “morality police” — along with surveillance cameras — enforce the rule, and women who disobey could face hefty fines, prison sentences of five to 15 years, or be barred from travel. In 2022, for example, the morality police arrested Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, and she died after they brutally beat her. Nationwide protests followed.</li>
<li>Women can be arrested or thrown in prison for social media posts showing them without their hijabs or for posting dance videos online.</li>
<li>Women must also wear a hijab when appearing in films or on television, because Iranian law requires the covering in all public media.</li>
<li>Women are not permitted to sing solos in front of mixed audiences, meaning that female performers are restricted to performing at female-only events or recorded performances.</li>
<li>Women have often been banned from attending men’s sporting events, especially soccer matches, leading to a number of women being arrested for dressing as men in order to attend such events.</li>
<li>Many women require permission from a father or male guardian to marry, regardless of their age at the time, if it is their first marriage.</li>
<li>Girls can legally be married at 13, but a younger girl can be forced to marry if her father or a judge decrees it.</li>
<li>Married women are not permitted to leave the country or obtain a passport without first getting written permission from their husbands.</li>
<li>A woman’s testimony in court is only worth half of a man’s testimony.</li>
<li>Women typically inherit less than men, meaning that daughters usually receive only half the inheritance that would be given to sons.</li>
<li>The Iranian constitution bars women from ever becoming president, and women are not permitted to become judges.</li>
<li>Married women can be legally barred from holding a job if their husbands claim that their work conflicts with their family obligations.</li>
<li>Men can file for and obtain divorces for any reason, but women risk losing inheritances and child custody — and are rarely granted divorces anyway.</li>
</ul>
Reid, clearly unbothered by that, went on to claim, &#8220;They have the highest rate of women who are in STEM careers. We’re kicking women out of the military, out of university. We’re saying that DEI means women can’t be hired for high positions in the sciences.&#8221;
While it has been claimed in viral social media posts that 70% of STEM graduates in Iran are women, data from the <a href="https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/view#indicatorPaths=UIS-EducationOPRI%3A0%3AFOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F&amp;geoMode=countries&amp;geoUnits=IRN%2CUSA&amp;browsePath=EDUCATION%2FUIS-EducationOPRI%2Fgraduates&amp;timeMode=range&amp;view=line&amp;chartMode=single&amp;tableIndicatorId=FOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F&amp;chartHighlightSeries=&amp;chartHighlightEnabled=true&amp;chartIndicatorId=FOSGP.5T8.F500600700.F">United Nations</a> shows that 25% of Iran&#8217;s STEM graduates are female.
&#8220;So we’re marginally better,&#8221; Reid concluded. &#8220;And we’re doing it for Christianity, they’re doing it for Islam, right? So, it’s like we don’t get told those things because it would take away the kind of American exceptionalism narrative that makes it easy to take our people and send them off to die in a war that we have nothing to do with, that we don’t want.&#8221;
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Isabel Brown fired back at Reid, saying, &#8220;Forgive my Christian ignorance but when was the last time a woman was BEATEN TO DEATH BY THE MORALITY POLICE for a sliver of her hair showing in a Christian country?&#8221;

2024 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ Presented By Coca-Cola® – Day 3 – Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Joy Reid Says Iranian Women Are As Free As Americans — The Brutal Reality Says Otherwise

Joy Reid Compares U.S. And Iran Side By Side, Concludes America Is Just Barely Better

Joy Reid

United States

Women

Women's Rights

Democrats and the legacy media have been spinning since the very beginning of President Donald Trump&#8217;s military actions against the Iranian regime. Over the span of two weeks, they have pulled out all the stops to win the battle of narratives and convince the world that it was wrong to strike Iran — or if it was right to strike Iran, this was the wrong time. And if it was the right time to strike Iran, then Trump is doing it wrong.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
On ABC News, for example, Martha Raddatz spoke with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). He agreed that Iran was &#8220;a problem,&#8221; but immediately pivoted to argue that &#8220;war&#8221; was not the proper response to every problem. He then went on to draw a comparison between Iran and previous military actions in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan — and he argued that they were all essentially the same.
&#8220;Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban is, you can have a threat and not have a military solution that’s going to make it better.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING: Rep. Adam Smith tells Martha Raddatz that “war is not always the answer to a problem.”
“Yes, Iran is a problem. A problem that needs to be contained. But what we should have learned from Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein and the Taliban… <a href="https://t.co/C5oi0rvSQy">pic.twitter.com/C5oi0rvSQy</a>
— Axel Vesa (@AxelVesa1) <a href="https://twitter.com/AxelVesa1/status/2033209072921481404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Smith also offered a comparison to Venezuela and the recent operation to extract former President Nicolás Maduro, adding, &#8220;Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep. Adam Smith on President Trump’s foreign policy: “Iran is not Venezuela. We can’t just fly in, snatch the president and make things change.” <a href="https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S">https://t.co/LLgvsyy61S</a> <a href="https://t.co/ns5XiVOxU0">pic.twitter.com/ns5XiVOxU0</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2033191028044271657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; anchor Jake Tapper brought in former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who promptly declared that the action in Iran was proof that &#8220;this is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House.&#8221;
Buttigieg, after claiming that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden had secured nuclear deals that prevented Iran from gaining access to nuclear weapons, argued that President Trump had rushed into war because he was unable to get &#8220;a better deal&#8221; and had done so without any kind of planning or preparation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pete Buttigieg on the war with Iran: &#8220;This is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/liOQlGQ50w">pic.twitter.com/liOQlGQ50w</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033192256820121841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tapper took a pause to defend the media&#8217;s oppositional stance, arguing that he and others doing the same were not being critical because they wanted the United States to lose, but because they were just doing their jobs.
&#8220;Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war,&#8221; he claimed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TAPPER: “Every reporter that I know wants the United States to succeed in every way, and the way that reporters help that happen is by asking questions of people in power and not blindly cheering on leaders who take the nation to war.” <a href="https://t.co/KtfZYSnBJU">pic.twitter.com/KtfZYSnBJU</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2033185159428591690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Margaret Brennan, on &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; spoke to several who reinforced the Democrat-driven narrative that the Trump administration was in over its head in Iran.
Former CIA operative Joey Gannon told her that Iran had moved to keep supreme leadership in the Khamenei family because it sent a signal to the world that the regime still had complete control.
&#8220;So, he was a gatekeeper for the supreme leader&#8217;s office in the past. He has strong ties to the IRGC and the Basij, he knows how power actually operates, and he is, effectively, a symbol of continuity right now,&#8221; he explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former CIA operative Jonny Gannon says the decision to appoint Motjaba Khameini as the new supreme leader “is the message from the regime that they are still in control.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is clearly not a charming public face; what he is is a systems operator,” he says. “So, he… <a href="https://t.co/oP6zveXtvO">pic.twitter.com/oP6zveXtvO</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033222131090084297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Samantha Vinograd, an Obama administration alum, took the same posture when she argued that Iran was essentially outwitting the United States strategically.
&#8220;The Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as well as hiring people to do their dirty work for them, to such an extent that I am concerned that they have the intent and capability to, if not direct attacks here in the homeland, to inspire them .&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Former Homeland Security official Samantha Vinograd says “the Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive” in the way they carry out attacks.
“They played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as… <a href="https://t.co/GgKqrE9CEG">pic.twitter.com/GgKqrE9CEG</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033219553694503149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) told Brennan that he did not believe the Iranian regime — despite a 47-year record of Iran and its proxies killing over 1,000 American service members and civilians and a recent boast that the regime had nearly enough enriched uranium for almost a dozen nuclear bombs — posed an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States. What&#8217;s more, Warner argued that Iran did not pose an immediate threat to Israel — despite Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah striking Israeli targets on a regular basis.
&#8220;There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was even an imminent threat to Israel from Iran,&#8221; Warner declared. &#8220;Over a period of time, particularly with the ballistic missile capability, Israel would be more under threat. The decision to go to war in this case was a choice by President Trump.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says he stands by the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment by U.S. intelligence leaders who testified at the time that Iran had not reauthorized their nuclear weapons program.
“There was no imminent threat to the United States, and I don&#8217;t believe there was… <a href="https://t.co/MLJA4YT5Gc">pic.twitter.com/MLJA4YT5Gc</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/2033215927228002331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jake Tapper

Spin Cycle: Dems, Media Wage War Over Who Controls The Narrative In Iran

ABC News

Democrats

Israel

Middle East

NBC News

Liberal outlet MS NOW — formerly MSNBC — ran a segment on Saturday during which one of the cohosts complained about the way that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration have described the &#8220;opponent&#8221; in recent American military action against the Iranian regime.
Antonia Hylton, during Saturday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The Weekend: Primetime,&#8221; complained that &#8220;racism&#8221; was fueling the way President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth talked about Iran and the regime&#8217;s terrorist proxies.
&#8220;The other piece of this that I found really disturbing in the messaging around the war recently — and Ayman, I really want your thoughts on this in particular — is some of the language in the description of their opponent,&#8221; Hylton said, describing the regime that has murdered more than 1000 Americans, both military and civilian.
&#8220;Sort of the way they seem to create this image of the Iranians and all of their sort of proxies or allies, the sort of imagery that they conjure up,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And I think that it takes a certain amount of arrogance and I’m also going to say it, a bit of racism, to constantly talk about people like they are savages. That is a word that we have heard Hegseth use. [They] talk about people as though they are subhuman, too stupid to engage in a war with the United States, incapable of possibly out-maneuvering us, and then find ourselves in the exact position in which it appears they are consistently out-maneuvering us.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/03/06/iranian-and-iranian-backed-attacks-against-americans-1979-present/">Iranian regime&#8217;s efforts</a> to kill Americans have stretched across the decades since the Islamic takeover in 1979. In 1983, 258 Americans were killed between a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, and a truck bombing in the same city. Iran-backed Hezbollah killed 19 U.S. Airmen in Saudi Arabia at the Khobar Towers in 1996. Iranian proxies are estimated to have killed nearly 700 between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and nearly 50 Americans were killed by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists during the attack on Israel that took place October 7, 2023.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Lefty Network Melts Down Over How Trump, Hegseth Describe Iran’s Evil Regime

Lefty Network Melts Down Over How Trump, Hegseth Describe Iran's Evil Regime

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked on Sunday whether Democrats were waiting for Americans to die before they would be willing to take action to ensure national security.
Duffy joined host Maria Bartiromo on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; on Fox News, and he specifically questioned the recent flip-flop from Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) — who repeatedly voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security only to demand that Congress fund DHS when a terror attack rocked her home state.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Are Democrats waiting for Americans to get hurt or killed before they make YOUR security a top priority?<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorSlotkin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorSlotkin</a> voted EVERY TIME against funding <a href="https://twitter.com/DHS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHS</a>. And now that an attacker tried to kill Jews at a synagogue in her home state of Michigan, she’s ready to fund Homeland… <a href="https://t.co/YyDhOlydAO">pic.twitter.com/YyDhOlydAO</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2033192290122891305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Look at Senator Slotkin from Michigan, where there was a synagogue attack,&#8221; Duffy began. &#8220;She voted every time against funding DHS, and once the threat to her community was real, from radicals, now she says let&#8217;s open up DHS.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that begs the question, are Democrats to get hurt, to get killed before they actually put your security before those who have come to this country unlawfully and illegally?&#8221; Duffy asked. &#8220;I hope that&#8217;s not their position, but we can get to a better place if they would just come to their senses and negotiate after they open it up.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-calls-for-dhs-funding-after-synagogue-terror-attack-but-rewind-24-hours">Slotkin</a> called for DHS to be funded in the wake of the attack on Temple Israel, during which armed security guards were able to thwart an attacker who crashed his vehicle into the building, armed with a rifle. She had voted with her party against fully funding the Department of Homeland Security, prolonging the partial government shutdown.
The partial shutdown, largely driven by Democrat criticisms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), does not actually impact the funding already carved out for ICE but has cut off pay for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the United States Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among others.

TOPSHOT-US-SHOOTING-SYNAGOGUE-MICHIGAN

Dems Forced To Face Brutal Question About Americans Dying

Sean Duffy: How Many Americans Need To Die For Dems To Care About National Security?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Sean Duffy

Menu