During a rally in Kentucky on Wednesday, Donald Trump proclaimed that the United States had emerged victorious in its conflict with Iran.
As the Middle East entered its 12th consecutive day of bombings, the President asserted that the conflict had effectively concluded.
“It’s only good if you win,” Trump remarked regarding the war. “And we’ve won.”
He continued, “You know, you never like to declare victory too early, but we won… It was over in the first hour,” he told the crowd in Kentucky.
Trump’s comments came just hours after reports from Israel indicated that missiles had been launched from Iran toward its territory. Al Jazeera further reported that Iran had fired nine ballistic missiles and deployed several drones targeting Qatar, according to the Gulf nation’s Defense Ministry.
Throughout the conflict, the President, his administration, and fellow Republicans have struggled to present a consistent message.
On February 28th, the first day of the joint US/Israeli operation in Iran, Trump stated in a video posted to his Truth Social site that Iran’s nuclear program had been ‘obliterated’.
That phrasing conflicted with a White House document from just months earlier, which described strikes carried out by the US last summer as having ‘significantly degraded’ the authoritarian regime’s nuclear capabilities.
US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, on March 11, 2026
This combination of pictures created on March 11, 2026 using satellite image released courtesy of Vantor shows an overview of Havadarya airbase in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on February 27, 2026 (top) and on March 11, 2026 after airstrikes
Smoke rises after an explosion at the airport in Erbil, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican who is seeking reelection in this year’s midterm elections, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he was ‘wrong’ about Iran’s nuclear capabilities when asked to react to a statement he made on Fox News last June, following the Trump admin’s strikes on nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Last year, Marshall said that it would take Iran ‘years to restart their nuclear program’, that they can’t control their airspace, and that he was in ‘shock and awe’ over how much ‘damage was done to their facilities.’
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham sparked immense backlash with his comments he made about the war during an appearance on Fox News’ show Hannity this week.
Graham claimed that when he goes ‘back to South Carolina, I’m asking them to send their sons and daughters over to the Middle East.’
That line has created mayhem, as President Trump’s bombing of Iran last month is highly unpopular with the American public, with both Democrats and Republicans alike. Eight American service members have already been killed in the conflict. The latest numbers also reveal that at least 140 troops have been injured.
Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Congresswoman who is also running to be the state’s governor in this year’s midterm elections, noted in an X post Tuesday that she does ‘not want to send South Carolina’s sons and daughters into war with Iran,’ without directly mentioning Graham’s comments.
Trump delivered his Wednesday remarks at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, where he also railed against his top Congressional nemesis, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie.
Trump also boosted his handpicked challenger, Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL, during the event, although the formal guidance previewed the speech as ‘remarks on the economy.’
