Trump falsely denies predicting short Iran war despite own statements

President Donald Trump falsely claimed he never predicted the Iran war would last only weeks, despite multiple public statements in March 2026 projecting the conflict would end within four to six weeks. His Thursday social media post asserted his timeline referred only to eliminating Iran's nuclear threat. Trump's own words and those of his former press secretary Karoline Leavitt contradict his denial. On March 2, Trump told CNN the war would last "four weeks," and later that day projected "four to five weeks." Leavitt repeatedly cited "four to six weeks" as the timeline for achieving all war objectives, not just nuclear disarmament. Trump continued making similar projections through late March and early April, including saying the war would conclude within "two or three weeks" on March 31. He has a pattern of distancing himself from these estimates, having previously blamed Democrats for misrepresenting his "six weeks" comment.