On April 1, 2026, Trump delivered a primetime address to the nation on “Operation Epic Fury,” the Iran war he launched with Israel on February 28, more than four weeks earlier. In a speech of under 20 minutes, he said the “core strategic objectives are nearing completion” but offered no timeline for ending the war, said U.S. forces would “hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” and threatened that if there was no deal, “we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously,” adding that Iran's oil could be hit too. He said 13 American service members had been killed since the conflict began.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Trump had posted on Truth Social that Iran's “New Regime President” had “just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Iran's foreign ministry denied it. Analysts found nothing new in the speech. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute told Al Jazeera, “Essentially, it was a summary of all of the tweets he has issued over the last 30 days, almost in chronological order.”
The address came against a backdrop of public opposition. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted March 17-20 found 60% disapproving of U.S. military action against Iran. A YouGov poll cited by Al Jazeera found only 28% of respondents supporting the war, including 61% of Republicans, down from 76% of Republicans in a YouGov survey released March 2.
The most striking reaction came from former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Trump's fiercest allies, who wrote on X: “I wanted so much for President Trump to put America First. That's what I believed he would do. All I heard from his speech tonight was WAR WAR WAR.” She continued: “Nothing to lower the cost of living for Americans. Nothing to reduce our near $40 trillion in debt. Nothing to save Social Security, which goes bankrupt in just a few years. Nothing to lower the cost of insurance. Nothing to address jobs for Americans. Nothing about education for our children. Nothing about our children's future. Nothing for America's future.” She concluded, “I'm so beyond done.”
White House spokesman Davis Ingle responded, “There is nothing more 'America Last' than quitting on your constituents and the MAGA movement in the middle of your term.” Greene had broken with Trump after calling for the release of the Epstein files and left Congress partway through her term.
Correction (October 14, 2026): An earlier version attributed the 28% support figure and the drop in Republican support from 76% to 61% to CBS polling; both come from YouGov polls, while the 60% disapproval figure comes from a CBS News/YouGov poll taken March 17-20. It also said Trump claimed in the address that Iran had requested a ceasefire; he made that claim on Truth Social before the speech. Greene's quoted list of complaints had dropped a clause without an ellipsis and is now quoted in full. An unsourced claim that the Pentagon's real death toll was “likely much higher” and an unsourced November 2025 resignation date were removed, and the title now says Trump threatened to hit every power plant rather than destroy them all.