{"id":2580549,"date":"2026-03-16T19:01:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T23:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-coy-about-which-former-president-praised-his-iran-strikes\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T19:03:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T23:03:01","slug":"trump-coy-about-which-former-president-praised-his-iran-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-coy-about-which-former-president-praised-his-iran-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump coy about which former president praised his Iran strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-coy-about-which-former-president-praised-his-iran-strikes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2580549&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Donald Trump claimed at a Monday press conference that a former U.S.president told him he wished he had done what he did in Iran, but he would not identify who it was. He boasted about the popularity of his Operation Epic Fury and suggested that one of its fans was a former president who admired the action. Reporters pressed him for the identity,and while he hinted the president could be Bill Clinton,he refused to name him clearly and said he didn\u2019t want to get anyone in trouble. He also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-kamala-harris-says-people-are-going-to-demand-justice-if-trump-found-guilty\/\" title=\"WATCH: Kamala Harris says people are going to &#039;demand justice&#039; if ... found guilty\">rejected suggestions<\/a> it was George W. Bush, and noted that he has sometimes spoken positively about Clinton in the past. The piece also references living former presidents-Clinton, obama, and Bush-and situates the claim within broader coverage of U.S. political figures and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >related foreign-policy stories<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump coy about which former president praised his Iran strikes: &lsquo;You probably know&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2533962\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> said a former U.S. president told him that he wished he had done what Trump did with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/confirmed-chinese-troops-on-canadian-soil-during-military-exercises\/\" title=\"Confirmed: Chinese Troops on Canadian Soil During Military Exercises\">military operation<\/a> in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>, though the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-wouldnt-last-5-minutes-as-an-air-traffic-controller-buttigieg\/\" title=\"... \u2018wouldn\u2019t last 5 minutes as an air traffic controller\u2019: Buttigieg\">president wouldn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t divulge who.<\/p>\n<p>At a Monday press conference, Trump boasted of the popularity of his Operation Epic Fury. He then said one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/zelensky-team-denies-role-in-nord-stream-2-sabotage-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Zelensky team denies role in Nord Stream 2 sabotage ... Washington Examiner\">operation&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s fans was a former president who said he wished he had done what Trump had done.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4492715\/ecuador-us-war-drug-cartels-two-week-operation\/\">Ecuador-US &#8216;war&#8217; with drug cartels begins with two-week operation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/4486552\/drug-pricing-top-of-agenda-trump-takaichi-meeting\/\">Drug pricing should be near top of agenda at Trump-Takaichi meeting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4490407\/poland-investigate-iran-cyberattack-stryker\/\">Poland investigates suspected Iranian cyberattack day after hackers target US company Stryker<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I spoke to one of the former presidents who I actually like. I actually speak to some. I do like some people, it&rsquo;d be shocking. And he said, &lsquo;I wish I did what you did,&#8217;&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Other presidents, somebody should&rsquo;ve done it &mdash; 47 years this went on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Living former U.S. presidents are a narrow field: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. Reporters quickly began pressing Trump as to the identity of his newfound fan, but the president remained mum.<\/p>\n<p>However, his hints heavily implied that the man was Clinton.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A member of a party, they have Trump Derangement Syndrome all, but somebody that happens to like me, and I like that person, who&rsquo;s a smart person, but that person said, &lsquo;I wish I did it,&rsquo; OK? But I don&rsquo;t want to get into who,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to get them into trouble.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think you probably know,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, whose first guess was Bush, to which Trump denied. Trump is a frequent critic of Obama, making such praise unlikely. Bush is also known not to like Trump, and the president&rsquo;s hint that everyone else in his party has &ldquo;Trump Derangement Syndrome&rdquo; disqualifies him, given Trump&rsquo;s near-unanimous approval among Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The president has had positive words to say about Clinton in the past despite his well-known rivalry with Clinton&rsquo;s wife. Trump even came to Clinton&rsquo;s defense in February when he was deposed by Congress over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4493343\/leaked-audio-iran-mojtaba-khamenei-survived-strike-outside\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4493343\">LEAKED AUDIO REVEALS NEW IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER SURVIVED STRIKE BECAUSE HE WENT OUTSIDE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Look, I like him, and I don&rsquo;t like seeing him deposed,&rdquo; Trump said of Clinton last month.<\/p>\n<p>While Iran was a U.S. adversary during Clinton&rsquo;s tenure in the 1990s, the country was too devastated from the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 through 1988 to seriously threaten U.S. interests in the region. Tehran focused on rebuilding its shattered infrastructure, and Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s Iraq prevented its influence from spreading further.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump hints ex prez praised Iran strike; wished he did<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2580550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26075765654818.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651,538],"tags":[34350,3823,8705,7283,3634],"class_list":["post-2580549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-former-president","tag-iran","tag-praise","tag-strikes","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26075765654818.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580549"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580553,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580549\/revisions\/2580553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}