President Trump calls Iran war ‘a little trip’
President Donald Trump has brought up war with Iran as a “bit of a trip” during the Republican retreat.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the United States should not be “nation-building” and should not intervene around the world, a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent framing of the international war in Iran, which he hoped would be an opportunity to “build a new nation.”
The House Republican leader made the comments during the annual policy conference held in Florida on Tuesday, March 10th. Asked by NBC News reporter Scott Wong if he supports Iranian nation-building, Johnson said, “I don’t.”
“I don’t think that’s our role,” Johnson said, adding that he believes the United States has a “very important role to play in the world” for generations.
“We’re good people,” Johnson said. “We are champions of freedom and liberty, and freedom-loving people around the world benefit from a strong America.”
“Does that mean we should be intervening everywhere in the world and doing nation-building and all that kind of work?” Johnson added. “No, we don’t have the resources or the desire to do that. It’s not our responsibility.”
In the past few months, President Trump has launched military actions in Venezuela, Syria, and Nigeria, and has threatened military intervention in Greenland and Cuba. A joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on Iran on February 28 killed the country’s former leader Ayatollah Khamenei, starting a war that escalated into a regional crisis in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
At a press conference on Monday, March 9, President Trump described the war with Iran as a “huge success” and vowed that the United States would “go even further” in the ongoing conflict.
President Trump said, “This is the beginning of building a new nation.”
Despite disagreements between the two top Republicans on the topic of nation-building, Mr. Johnson echoed Mr. Trump’s call for Iranians to “take over” the government.
The Louisiana Republican touted America’s military might, saying the United States’ responsibility is to “promote peace through strength.” Regarding Iran, he said it is not the role of the United States to rebuild the country. He put the business in the hands of the Iranian people.
“They need to stand up, as the president is trying to encourage,” Johnson said, referring to the Iranian people. “And they need to take advantage of that opportunity and secure it for themselves.”
Johnson’s comments came after Congress formally chose not to immediately end U.S. involvement in the Iran war in back-to-back votes in the Senate and House of Representatives last week. But Congress will soon have a chance to consider the rapidly escalating war. Congressional leaders, including top Republican appropriators in the Senate and House, have said publicly that a request for billions of dollars in emergency cash to fund the war is almost certainly on the way.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
