Consequences are coming for Trump
At 8:04 this morning, he stood at the podium in the Pentagon, with his hair greased back, shifting back and forth on his feet, reading from his prepared remarks, desperately trying to convince the American people that a war failure was actually a war victory. And when a female reporter tried to ask about Iran launching missiles, he snapped back, calling her “rude,” before muttering under his breath, “so nasty,” as if she were the problem and not the truth her question exposed. He proclaimed that “Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield” and that “President Trump had the power to cripple Iran’s entire economy in minutes, but he chose mercy.” And try as he might, Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense for the United States of America, failed just as terribly as the war did.
He didn’t sound like a man who believed what he was saying. He sounded like a man reading lines someone else told him to say, delivering them with a kind of forced certainty that only made the gaps more obvious. And people could feel it. During the live broadcast of his press conference, the comment section was relentless. Taco emojis, a reference to “TACO,” Trump Always Chickens Out. Laughing faces. American and Israeli flags paired together with hearts. Others calling him a loser, asking if he’d been drinking. It wasn’t one type of reaction; it was all of them at once: sarcasm, disbelief, frustration, and something deeper running underneath it all. And then there was the comment that cut through all the noise: “I’m an American and I’m so embarrassed.” That was the through line of the entire thirty-seven minutes. A former Fox News host standing behind a podium stamped with the Department of Defense seal, trying to sell a catastrophe as a victory, while so many watched and felt the distance between what was being said and what was actually true.
And over the next thirty-seven minutes, that distance only grew. He said Iran begged for this ceasefire. At that exact same moment, Iran’s state media was running headlines that read, “Trump Once Again Retreating” and “The Strength and Resistance of Iran Forced Trump to Accept a Cease-Fire.” Both sides are claiming the other one surrendered. But only one side still controls the Strait of Hormuz.
He read a list of dead Iranian leaders out loud like a scorecard. Supreme leader, dead. National Security Council secretary, dead. Defense minister, dead. IRGC commander, dead. He kept going, then said he had “skipped over a bunch” and “could go on and on.” He did not have time to say a single American name. Not one. Thirteen American service members have come home in caskets since this war began. More than 365 have come home wounded. Somewhere in this country, families who lost someone in those thirty-eight days sat down this morning and turned on that press conference, hoping to hear their child’s name, hoping that the man responsible for sending them into harm’s way would at least pause long enough to honor what it cost. This is the same man who has stated in the past that media coverage of American service members killed in action exists primarily to make the president look bad. That’s who is running the Pentagon. A man who treats enemy casualties as trophies and American casualties as bad press.
He claimed “complete regime change” because the United States killed senior leaders. But the regime is still standing. A new supreme leader has already been installed. The government structure is intact. Calling that regime change is like saying you demolished a building because you broke the windows.
And Hegseth himself proved it at his own press conference. When a reporter asked whether the U.S. was still encouraging Iranian civilians to rise up against their government, Hegseth said he hoped the Iranian people would ‘take advantage of this opportunity’ with ‘this regime,’ effectively admitting that the regime he had just called defeated was still in power. He contradicted the administration’s central claim of victory from the same podium where he was trying to sell it.
He said the United States used “less than 10 percent of America’s total combat power” to dismantle one of the world’s largest militaries. That line wasn’t a victory lap. It was a message. A warning to every other nation watching. Imagine what we could do to you.
When asked about Iran’s enriched uranium, he said, “They’ll give it to us voluntarily.” And if they don’t? “We’ll get it. We’ll take it. We’ll take it out.” Thus, admitting the whole war objective wasn’t even met, if it actually was about uranium.
And then came the moment that exposed the entire performance. ABC’s Luis Martinez reminded Hegseth that just three weeks ago, from that same podium, he had promised the United States would give ‘no quarter’ to Iranian troops. No quarter. That is a legal term. It means take no prisoners. Kill everyone. It is, by definition, a war crime. So Martinez asked a really important question: how do you go from ‘no quarter’ three weeks ago to ‘chose mercy’ today?
Hegseth didn’t answer it. He unraveled. He called the question ‘an indictment framed as a question.’ Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, tried to dodge it entirely, saying he would ‘love to take that offline.’ A reporter shouted from the back of the room that Iran was still firing ballistic missiles. Hegseth ignored it. The UAE confirmed that very morning that it had intercepted seventeen ballistic missiles and thirty-five drones launched from Iran, while Hegseth stood there calling it “a big day for world peace.”
And Trump had declared the same thing, just after midnight, at 12:01 am that same morning. “A big day for World Peace! Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else! The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just “hangin’ around” in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The whole Trump administration was following the same playbook, and by this point, they weren’t even trying to hide it. Manufacture a crisis. Escalate it to the brink. Execute a destructive “solution.” Then immediately declare success, regardless of what actually changed. And before anyone has time to process the damage, shift the focus to what comes next. Reconstruction. Opportunity. Profit.
Because that’s the part they keep coming back to. “Big money will be made.” Not stability. Not security. Not the lives lost or the consequences that will ripple out from this long after the headlines move on. Money.
So we’re left with a question that shouldn’t even have to be asked. If you threaten to wipe out a civilization, destabilize an entire region, and then position yourself to profit from rebuilding it, what exactly are we looking at? Because it doesn’t sound like leadership. It sounds like a racketeering operation.
And other people are seeing that too. Even people inside his own Pentagon. The Washington Post reported that internal Pentagon documents directly contradict claims he has made about the war. He bragged about “complete control of Iranian skies” and “uncontested airspace” shortly before Iran shot down an American F-15E fighter jet. The chaotic rescue mission that followed became the clearest evidence yet that his claims of air dominance were a lie.
With an administration official telling the Post, “Pete is not speaking truth to the president. As a result, the president is out there repeating misleading information.” His own building doesn’t trust him. His own colleagues are going to the press to say so. And yet he still stood at that podium trying to convince us all that his war succeeded when the facts show it was a failure.
And the ceasefire he was celebrating was already falling apart before he left the podium. Within hours of the announcement, Iran, the UAE, and Kuwait all reported ongoing attacks. Iran claimed it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The White House denied it. Netanyahu said Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif, who brokered the deal, said it was. The parties to this agreement could not even agree on what they had agreed to, and Hegseth was calling it a big day for world peace.
Because if this were a victory, then the results should reflect that. Before this war started, the Strait of Hormuz was open. Now Iran controls it, and reports show they are planning on charging roughly $2 million per ship to pass through. Gas wasn’t $4 a gallon. Now it is. Iran had not demonstrated to the entire world that it could choke the global oil supply and bring a superpower to the negotiating table. Now it has. Before this war, international inspectors still had a limited but real presence monitoring Iran’s nuclear program. Now they have been completely shut out, and the deal reportedly includes language in the Persian version accepting Iran’s right to enrich uranium, language that was mysteriously removed from the English version shared with journalists. And thirteen American service members who were alive before this war are not anymore.
And now Trump is floating a “joint venture” with Iran to collect tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. A joint venture. The President of the United States wants to go into business with the country he just bombed for thirty-eight days, splitting shipping fees on a waterway that was free and open before he started this war. Thus, creating a money grab on many of our allied nations if Iran would even agree to this. That’s what we’re being asked to accept as a win. That this is what success looks like.
And then came the phone call earlier today to Trump at the White House. PBS NewsHour’s Liz Landers called Trump for what appears to be an impromptu interview. She asked about Lebanon still being hit and whether it should have been included in the ceasefire. Trump said no, because of Hezbollah, and added, ‘That’ll get taken care of too.’ Then Landers tried to ask if he regretted that Truth Social post, the one about wiping out a civilization. She referenced the huge pushback from Democrats. And he hung up.
The President of the United States hung up on a reporter for asking the question that so many want to know. He couldn’t face the question or defend it. So he ran away from it.
And just as I was finishing this post tonight, Trump posted this on Truth Social at 11:46 pm:
This morning, his Secretary of Defense stood at a podium and told the American people this war was over, that it was a historic and overwhelming victory, that Iran begged for the ceasefire. And tonight, the President of the United States just told the world the military is staying, the agreement hasn’t been met, and if it falls apart, the shooting starts again, ‘bigger and better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.’ He even said the military is looking forward to ‘its next Conquest.’ That is not the language of a man who won a war. That is the language of a man who knows this isn’t over and is already preparing the country for the next escalation. And this begs the question: Is there anyone in this administration who has any idea what they are doing or how a war works?
This is all starting to catch up to Trump and his enablers. There is only so much cover-up and gaslighting until people are pushed to their limits. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced today that Democrats will force another vote on a War Powers Resolution next week to halt the war and reassert congressional authority. He called Trump a ‘military moron.’ And then he did what no one in this administration has been willing to do: he walked through every single metric and showed that on every one, we are worse off than before the war started. The Strait is worse. The Iranian regime is still standing and emboldened. Gas prices have spiked. Iran’s nuclear stockpile is unchanged. American credibility, shattered. American lives, lost. Connecticut Congressman John Larson, along with Ralph Nader and Bruce Fein, filed thirteen articles of impeachment against Trump on Monday, citing his circumvention of Congress’s war powers, the militarization of domestic law enforcement, and immigration policy actions. Over 80 Democrats are calling for removal.
The chance that impeachment passes right now is slim to none. And the war powers vote will likely fail again, too. We know Republicans will block it, just like they did in March. But here’s what matters: it gets documented, recorded, and it builds the case against Trump for later. And when the midterms come, every single vote will be on the record. Every senator who voted to give Trump a blank check for this war will have to answer for it. And every representative who stayed silent while a president threatened to erase a civilization will have to face their voters. The record matters now and for the history books. And resistance, even when it feels futile, still matters. Because there will be a future. And we will need to show that not all of us went along with it.
Yesterday was hard. But today is a new day. And I picked up my resistance in the ways I know how. Writing these posts and supporting more independent voices with paid memberships, and others who are using all they have to speak out against this authoritarian takeover. I also purchased tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in Los Angeles tomorrow night. Artists have always had a place in building momentum in political movements, and I am really looking forward to hearing his words and seeing his “fiery political show,” as The Daily Breeze called his show last night. I’ve been feeling heavy the past couple of days, and I’m hoping tomorrow night’s show lifts my spirit. Ever since Trump called for a boycott of Springsteen’s concerts and shared this on Truth Social, I knew I had to go. Tomorrow night’s post might be a little late, as I’m hoping to include a picture to share with you all.
If these past couple of days have been especially hard for you as well, please take a moment to do whatever helps you recharge. We have a long battle ahead of us. These next few months could determine the next few decades or beyond for our country, and we have to be at the top of our game.
Since Trump took office, we have gone through a series of peaks and valleys. We have had days when the growth of the resistance cannot be denied by anyone. And other days where the President threatened the unthinkable. And we took encouragement from the good, and we survived the bad. We can take anything that comes at us. We are in this for the long haul and we are never giving up. That is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather
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This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.
Picture of the day: Just about to record a couple of new videos, and my husband took a surprise picture of me. I’m working towards getting the nightly posts in video form published much faster. I’m almost there. Just need Trump to give us a stable day, and I can finally get ahead of the clock.
Sources:
Secretary Hegseth and Chairman Caine hold a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury - 04/08/2026: Department of War Official YouTube Channel Video
https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4454648/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-air-force-gen-da/
https://www.foxnews.com/media/hegseth-snaps-rude-reporter-interrupting-pentagon-briefing-iran
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/15/trump-hegseth-iran-war-no-quarter
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5766791-iran-drone-strike-kuwait/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/8/uae-kuwait-bahrain-report-attacks-despite-iran-us-ceasefire
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/07/nx-s1-5776377/iran-war-updates
https://ctmirror.org/2026/04/07/rep-john-larson-files-articles-of-impeachment-against-trump/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/1155/text
Heather Cox Richardson (HCR) has been my last read it the night, or first in the morning, every day since Trump’s first term. Every single day. And repost her religiously.
Now HDR is right up there on my daily must-read, and repost too. I love how different your styles are. I love the list of sources. I love that you cover the same day, the same events, but with different passions. I love that - every day - I learn something different from each post.
Yes, you spread facts, but both of you also make those of us out here who feel the 24/7 stress and fear and sadness of watching our democracy be dismantled by fascist, authoritarian, monsters, feel less alone, and more determined to keep fighting. So, thank you!
It’s all about power, greed and corruption and everyone else be damned.