Donald Trump started a war with Iran that he said would end in about two weeks. That was more than 212 days ago. Since then, at least 19 American service members have died, and more than 800 have been injured. Dozens of US aircraft have been damaged or destroyed. Military costs exceed $43 billion, and Americans have paid over $100 billion extra for gas and diesel. Gas prices are around $4.48 per gallon.
How many times has Trump said the war was almost over? At least sixty, and counting. Here are just some of the contradictory promises Trump has made in recent months about his nonexistent exit strategy:
March 7: “We’re winning the war by a lot. It’ll continue for a little while.”
March 31: “Maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days.”
April 16: “We’re very close to making a deal.”
June 9: “The Strait [of Hormuz] will open up right away.”
July 8: “They want to make a deal so bad.”
August 3: “Literally by tomorrow.”
August 6: “It could be soon.”
September 2: “We’ve already won.”
September 9: “The war will be over very shortly after the election.”
September 16: “Before the midterms. Very soon. Watch. You just watch.”
In partnership with our friends at VoteVets, Home of the Brave compiled all of the public instances of Trump promising that the war he started would be over soon. We released a new video showing Trump’s broken promises of peace. And we put them all together in a helpful tracker, which you can find at AboutTwoWeeks.com.
Trump promised to be the president of “no more wars,” and vowed repeatedly to keep America out of military quagmires on foreign shores. Once in office, he started his illegal war with Iran without seeking Congressional approval, and without even attempting to make a cogent case for military action to the American public.
Millions of Americans are feeling the effects of those decisions in their pocket books. But the real pain is being felt by that one percent of Americans who serve in uniform. For the 19 American service members who died, their families are left to pick up the pieces while this administration demonstrates every day its fecklessness and incompetence.
Generations of military planners have known that, at the most basic level, you cannot take an army to war without an exit strategy. But that’s exactly what Trump has done. He sees no way out, and rather than cut his losses, he vacillates wildly between telegraphing peace and promising civilizational annihilation and war crimes.
While this administration keeps promising we are “two weeks” away from a resolution, ordinary Americans—especially our uniformed military personnel—are left to suffer the consequences of his actions. Trump has no plan, no exit strategy, and no shame about lying and blustering America through yet another catastrophic war. Our men and women in uniform deserve better.
Home of the Brave exists to show Americans the real-world consequences of this administration’s policies, and to highlight what bravery looks like in defense of American democracy.
VoteVets provides a bold, veteran-led perspective on the intersection of national security, democracy, and the fight for the rights of those who served.
