“Trump Says He ‘Might Have Gone Too Far’ With Iran War” President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he “might have gone too far” in the war with Iran, while claiming U.S. military action had devastated Tehran’s armed forces and eliminated multiple levels of the country’s leadership.
Speaking at his midterm rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, Trump said Iran’s navy, air force, radar and anti-aircraft capabilities were “gone” before turning to the impact on its leadership.
Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, the opening day of the war, killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other senior Iranian military and security officials.
“Their first level leaders are gone. They pick the second level. Their second level leaders are gone. They pick the third level,” Trump said, adding: “I probably went a little too far. I’m sorry, because I don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with anymore.”
Trump also said Iranian officials had secured a promise from him not to target additional leaders, saying: “They made me promise not to take out anymore, and I did. I promised that.” He later predicted the ongoing conflict was nearing a conclusion, telling the crowd: “That’s going to end very soon.”
Trump’s Iran Remarks and Political Impact
Trump’s Iran remarks come as the conflict weighs increasingly heavily on both his approval ratings and the midterm campaign. A Pew Research Center poll released October 8 found 65 percent disapproved of his handling of U.S. military action against Iran, while 33 percent approved. Most Americans also expected the conflict to continue for at least another six months, according to the poll.
Surging oil and gasoline prices have amplified the political stakes, putting additional pressure on household budgets as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress.
Trump Says Government Leakers ‘Should Be Shot’
Trump said people who leak sensitive government information should face severe punishment, telling supporters at his Arizona rally Wednesday that, “In my opinion, leakers should be shot.”
Trump made the comments while discussing leaks involving government information, including the timing of strikes against Iran. “In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know?” Trump said.
He went on to call leakers “the scum of the earth” and said they should be “dealt with very, very strongly.”
Trump Touts Billions in Foreign Investment
President Trump touted tens of billions of dollars in new energy and semiconductor investments Wednesday, seeking to highlight his economic agenda just hours before his Arizona midterm rally and amid continued voter frustration over the cost of living.
Trump said Taiwan had committed to buying $70 billion to $80 billion worth of liquefied natural gas from the proposed Alaska LNG project over 20 years, and investing up to $4.4 billion in its development.
Separately, he announced what he described as a $21 billion investment involving semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries to build two new manufacturing facilities in Malta, New York, with capital provided by Japan.
Trump’s Truth Social announcements come as the president faces significant voter dissatisfaction over the economy and cost of living. An Associated Press-NORC poll released Wednesday found that just 17 percent of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey found about 78 percent of Americans blamed Trump administration policies, including tariffs and the conflict with Iran, for rising prices.
Inflation Report Challenges Trump’s Economic Message
That frustration was further fueled Wednesday morning when the Labor Department reported that inflation accelerated in September. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent from August and 3.7 percent from a year earlier, up from 3.4 percent in August. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.3 percent for the month and 2.6 percent annually. Gasoline prices jumped 9.1 percent in September and accounted for more than half of the monthly increases.
The report was the final Consumer Price Index reading before the November 3 midterms.
Trump Touts Foreign Investment and Thousands of US Jobs
Trump nevertheless cast the investment announcements as evidence that his trade policies are delivering major projects and jobs in the United States.
Trump said Taiwan’s Alaska LNG commitment represented about 30 percent of the project’s output for the next 20 years. Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that state-owned CPC Corp. plans to purchase 6 million metric tons of LNG annually and could invest up to $4.4 billion in the project. However, the ministry said specific investment arrangements, equity stakes and other terms remain subject to negotiations and commercial contract procedures.
Reuters reported that it had not said whether a binding sale-and-purchase agreement had been signed.
“Specific investment arrangements, equity stakes and related terms will be determined through subsequent negotiations and commercial contract procedures,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.
Trump also said South Korea’s previously announced involvement amounted to a $50 billion infrastructure investment, though Seoul has previously said its participation in the Alaska project had not been finalized.
The president said the GlobalFoundries investment would create 27,000 construction and supply-chain jobs, plus more than 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing jobs in New York. The jobs would be tied to two new semiconductor manufacturing facilities planned for Malta, north of Albany.
The company expects to break ground on the first plant later this year.
“This is a bold new initiative for semiconductor manufacturing, bringing together the United States and Japan with GF’s differentiated technology and decades of manufacturing expertise to accelerate trusted capacity in New York,” Tim Breen, CEO of GlobalFoundries, said in a statement. “GF was selected because fabs of this scale require more than capital. They require differentiated technology, operational excellence and a proven ability to execute. That combination is what positions GF to make this first-of-its-kind initiative a success.”
Trump called the Alaska LNG development “the GREATEST Project in Alaska History,” adding that it “only happens with me in the White House.” He also hailed the New York investment as an “ALL-AROUND HUGE WIN FOR AMERICA,” while describing himself as a “great Businessman President” running “the Greatest Economy in the World.”
What’s at Stake for Trump in Arizona and Montana
Trump’s two-stop Western swing Wednesday highlights the increasingly urgent stakes for Republicans as they try to limit losses in the final weeks of the midterm campaign. Arizona is the only presidential battleground among Trump’s recent stops, while Montana offers another test of whether his political clout can help Republicans protect favorable territory.
In Arizona, Trump is throwing his support behind longtime ally Representative Andy Biggs, who is trying to unseat Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. Trump carried Arizona in 2016 and again in 2024, but lost it in 2020, underscoring the state’s importance as a closely contested political battleground.
Trump will then head to Montana’s 1st Congressional District to rally for Republican Aaron Flint, a former aide to retiring Representative Ryan Zinke. Flint is facing Democrat Sam Forstag in a district that leans Republican but is somewhat less favorable to the GOP than Montana as a whole.
The rallies come as Republicans play defense in a tightening midterm environment, with the party pulling resources from some competitive House races and scaling back expectations in several Senate contests. Trump’s “midterm blitz” is aimed at energizing GOP voters as the party confronts the historical tendency for the president’s party to lose congressional seats in midterm elections.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.
