- BIST10011,483+0.04%
- USD50.05+0.05%
- EUR56.25-0.01%
- GOLD4,062.40-1.24%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN75,366-0.81%
- November 6, 202620°
- BIST10011,483+0.04%
- USD50.05+0.05%
- EUR56.25-0.01%
- GOLD4,062.40-1.24%
- INTEREST36.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN75,366-0.81%
- November 6, 202620°
Trump defends Iran war and Hegseth in Oval Office as 'VETO' cap sits on his desk
Two days after Democrats won control of Congress, President Donald Trump said the Iran war is "working out very well" and praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He spoke as he signed a proclamation making the Oval Office and Cabinet Room a national monument.
President Donald Trump defended the war with Iran and his embattled defense secretary on Thursday, taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office two days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. A red cap reading "VETO" sat on the Resolute Desk as he spoke, a reminder of the tool he has said he will use against the incoming Democratic majorities.
The occasion was the signing of a proclamation designating the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, both of which Trump has redecorated with gold accents, as a national monument. "We’re making it a national monument and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody," Trump told reporters, according to The Associated Press.
‘That’s war. Iran, no’
Trump was upbeat about the conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. "I think it’s working out very well," he said, before comparing it with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In this clip, Trump argues that the Iran conflict should not be seen as a full-scale war. "Nobody’s been killed in about seven months, six months," he says. "And you know, if you look at Russia, Ukraine, see, that’s a war. 25,000 people being killed a month. That’s war. Iran, no."
Defense Department figures reported by Stars and Stripes this week put U.S. losses in the war at 11 combat deaths and 12 non-hostile deaths, with more than 850 troops injured. In mid-July, two U.S. Army soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile and drone attack in Jordan, NBC News reported. The Pentagon listed them under the counter-Islamic State mission rather than the Iran campaign, though Trump said at the time that they had been "fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
He also suggested that Washington holds the upper hand. "They’re not doing anything without our approval," he said of Iran, without elaborating. Vice President JD Vance has blamed the war for the Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterms.
Standing by Hegseth
The president also offered strong support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces a push in the House to impeach him over his handling of the war.
Here, Trump praises Hegseth’s overhaul of the military’s top ranks. "Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job," he says. "You know, we had more generals than we did in World War II. We had so many generals. Everybody was a four-star general. I never saw anything like it. And many of those people were woke. I don’t like a woke general." In May 2025, Hegseth ordered a cut of at least 20% in the number of four-star officers.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump told ABC News he had "every intention" to keep Hegseth. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, wants to force a House impeachment vote as soon as next week, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told the AP he would support impeaching Hegseth. Hegseth released a video the same day telling his critics, "We will not back down."
A veto pen for a Democratic Congress
The cap echoed a picture Trump posted on Truth Social on election night, after several races were called for Democrats. He told Fox News that Democrats are "really not in control" because he can send their bills back "with a nice stamp veto." Overriding a veto takes a two-thirds vote in both chambers, 290 in the House and 67 in the Senate, far more seats than Democrats won on Tuesday.
Trump was softer on the man expected to lead the new Senate majority. "Chuck Schumer is actually not a bad guy. I know him," he said. Schumer told the AP on Thursday that Democrats would not let Trump put "a right-winger" on the Supreme Court. Trump also warned that when voters grow unhappy, "there’ll be change, but unfortunately, usually, that happens so late that you’ll never be able to bring back a city or a country or a state."
He then turned to the voting itself.
In this clip, Trump repeats a long-standing complaint about the American electoral system. "Our elections are so crooked, you have no idea," he says. Trump has claimed for years, without providing evidence, that U.S. elections are rigged against him, and courts and state election officials rejected his claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
What the monument order does
Trump said the designation means the two rooms cannot be significantly altered by a future president. "No major modification without the approval of Congress," he said, according to Reuters. "So if they want to say ‘let’s not have Oval anymore, let’s make it square,’ what happens is they have to go back to Congress." The text of the proclamation had not been posted on the White House website by Thursday evening, and it was not immediately clear what legal authority it relied on. Presidents usually create national monuments under the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect sites on federal land.
The White House is already a National Historic Landmark, but Congress exempted it from the National Historic Preservation Act, letting presidents remake parts of it quickly. In a TIME interview published Oct. 1, Trump said the Secret Service had suggested rebuilding the Oval Office and that he wanted to know, "Will we make it a federal landmark?" Preservation lawyer Greg Werkheiser told The Washington Post then that such a designation would be "legally meaningless." Trump gave no details about his plans for the coming weeks. "You’ll be seeing a lot of things over the next week, two weeks," he said. "We have a lot of things cooking."
Videos: The White House via Clash Report / X. Photos: The White House via Clash Report; Official White House Photo by Molly Riley / Wikimedia Commons
Have a story, event or announcement of your own?Send us your news on WhatsApp
Spotted an error in this story?Report it on WhatsApp
Share on all social platforms
Sponsored Ads
Featured Listings
Loading featured properties...
Stay Updated with Ally Daily
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
