Every Living Former President Denies Trump’s Brazen Claim on Iran War
Trump claims a former president praised his Iran strikes; aides to all four living ex-presidents say no such recent call happened.
Mar 17, 2026
Sources
Summary
The New Republic spotlights an NBC News report that aides to George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden all denied any recent conversations with Donald Trump after Trump repeatedly claimed an unnamed former president told him they "wish" they had done what Trump did regarding the Iran war. The piece frames the episode as an attempted validation-by-anonymous-endorsement amid controversy over the decision to bomb Iran.
Reality Check
Multiple outlets report that aides to all four living former presidents (Bush, Clinton, Obama, Biden) deny any recent conversation with Trump backing his Iran strikes; Trump has not identified the alleged former president. (nbcnews.com)
Media
Detail
Trump said an unnamed former president told him: "I wish I did it," referring to Trump’s Iran action.
NBC News reported aides to Bush, Clinton, Obama, and Biden each denied any recent contact with Trump on this topic.
Trump suggested the person was not Bush and implied it could be a Democrat, but refused to name them.
The article argues the claim is implausible given prior stances: Bush resisted war with Iran, Obama pursued the JCPOA-era nuclear deal, Biden avoided offensive action, and Clinton publicly urged de-escalation.