President Donald Trump downplayed the United States' military conflict with Iran on Friday, calling it "small potatoes" and insisting the US had achieved "great success," as his administration works to limit the political fallout from the confrontation weeks before critical midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about comments made the previous day by Vice President J.D. Vance, who had said he would not call the Iran conflict a "war."
Trump said many people did not call it a war, adding that he described it as a military conflict because it was small potatoes for the US and not a big deal. He said the same had been done in Venezuela and that this was similar.
Downplaying the fallout
The remarks are part of a broader effort by the US administration to minimize the impact of the conflict, as rising fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East are seen as likely to hurt Republicans in the November elections.
Trump said the United States was not currently at war, and that it was carrying out only "sporadic strikes."
He also claimed that US forces controlled the Strait of Hormuz and had decimated Iran's armed forces.
He said what had been achieved was remarkable, adding that the US had taken control of Venezuela and, in essence, also had control of Iran.
Question over American deaths
When asked about his use of the term "small potatoes" given that 18 American service members have died since the conflict began, Trump appeared irritated and sought to compare the situation to the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan.
He said he did not think it mattered what the conflict was called, and that what mattered was that the US had achieved great success, adding that it had prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
According to a Clash Report post on X dated September 4, 2026, a reporter asked Trump directly why the deployment had lasted so long, given that 18 people had died in relation to Iran. Trump responded by asking why it was considered record-long and questioning how long US forces had been in Vietnam.
Political backdrop
The comments come as Trump's administration faces pressure ahead of the midterm elections in November, with rising fuel prices tied to Middle East tensions viewed as a potential liability for Republican candidates.
Vance's remarks a day earlier, in which he avoided calling the Iran conflict a war, appeared to reflect the same effort within the administration to frame the confrontation in less alarming terms for voters.
