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By Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump said Americans who oppose the war with Iran are “foolish,” but acknowledged Monday that public pressure to bring U.S. troops home would ultimately lead him to wind down U.S. military operations.
Speaking to reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll, Trump said Iran would eventually relent under sustained U.S. pressure, even as he warned of further destruction if Tehran does not comply with American demands.
“They just don’t want to say ‘uncle,’” Trump said. “But they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything.”
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Trump Says Public Pressure Will Drive US Exit
Trump said that while he favored harsher measures, including seizing Iran’s oil resources, public opinion would ultimately dictate U.S. involvement.
“If I had my choice, I’d keep the oil. I would make plenty of money,” Trump said. “But I want to keep the people of our country happy. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home.”
Recent polls underscore that sentiment. Majorities of Americans expressed concern for U.S. military personnel and pessimism about their personal finances as energy prices rise amid disruptions to global oil markets, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Nearly nine in 10 respondents said they expect gasoline prices to continue increasing, and more than half said higher fuel costs are already affecting their household finances.
More than three‑quarters of those surveyed said they oppose sending U.S. ground troops into Iran, even as many believe such a move remains possible, highlighting broad resistance to deeper military involvement.
A new poll from YouGov and The Economist found that twice as many Americans now oppose as support the war and showed that support for the war among traditional, non-MAGA Republicans has swung down by 48 points to -23 points. Support among MAGA Republicans had dropped by 1 point, from 72 to 71.
Iran Rejects Ceasefire as Hormuz Deadline Nears
Trump’s remarks came as prospects for de‑escalation dimmed. Iran’s state‑run IRNA news agency reported that Tehran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal conveyed through Pakistan, a key intermediary, insisting instead on a permanent end to the war.
Trump said Monday that Iran had taken a “significant step” but added it was “not good enough,” signaling negotiations remain stalled.
Meanwhile, Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for roughly one‑fifth of the world’s oil, loomed over the conflict. The president has warned that if Iran fails to comply by Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, the U.S. would expand strikes against Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, saying the country could be sent “back to the Stone Ages.”
Iranian officials reacted sharply. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threat to target civilian infrastructure “reckless,” as international figures warned such strikes could violate the laws of war.
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Downed U.S. Aircraft Raise Stakes of Conflict
The war escalated sharply on Friday when two U.S. combat aircraft were downed in separate incidents involving Iran, triggering a high‑risk search‑and‑rescue operation for three American airmen.
An F‑15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, with one crew member rescued and another initially missing, U.S. officials said. During rescue efforts, a separate U.S. A‑10 attack aircraft was also struck, though its pilot was able to eject safely.
Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other officials for a White House press briefing on the search and rescue mission on Monday. Ratcliffe said the spy agency used “exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service” possesses to locate the pilot. At the same time, the CIA mounted a deception operation to mislead Iranians who were also trying to find him.
Ratcliffe said the search and rescue operation was “comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.”
The incidents marked the first confirmed losses of U.S. crewed aircraft during the conflict and heightened concerns about further escalation as fighting continues.
As economic pressures grow at home and military risks mount abroad, Trump has increasingly framed the war’s potential end around domestic opinion rather than battlefield outcomes — signaling that while escalation remains an option, political realities may ultimately pull U.S. forces out of Iran.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 4/6/26, 5:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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