There are dumb questions, and then there are questions so spectacularly and breathtakingly stupid and disconnected from reality that they deserve their own category. A reporter managed to achieve that rare distinction during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Operation Epic Fury — and Donald Trump was more than happy to supply the appropriate response.
During the briefing, as Trump laid out the status of an ongoing military campaign aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, a reporter decided the moment called for a special kind of stupid question.
“Sir, would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?” Trump quickly shut it down: “No. No… We wouldn’t. We don’t need it.”
As the reporter tried to press further, Trump pushed back on the premise of the question itself. “Why do I need it? Why would a stupid question like that be asked?” he said, clearly irritated.
He went on to emphasize that the United States has already achieved its objectives through conventional means. “Why would I use a nuclear weapon when we’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it?” he asked.
Trump concluded with a broader statement on nuclear weapons, saying, “No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”
REPORTER: Would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 23, 2026
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No. Why would a stupid question like that be asked?
Why would l use a nuclear weapon when we’ve totally decimated Iran without it? A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody. pic.twitter.com/7hAlHLrNT4
The question was absurd on its face, and Trump called it exactly what it was. But let's be honest about what's really going on here. This is the kind of question that never would have been lobbed at Barack Obama or Joe Biden. Not in a million years.
Of course, Obama never would have attacked Iran in the first place, and the only thing he knew how to drop on the regime was money. We’ve seen presidents from both parties wage military campaigns, and this is the first time that I can recall such a question being asked. Did the reporter think she had some kind of gotcha question? Like Trump might say, “Yes,” or even offer some ambiguous response?
Recommended: This Screaming Match Between Greg Gutfeld and Jessica Tarlov on 'The Five' Was Brutal
Reporters have this problem where they are in a bubble of leftism, and so they believe the left-wing assumptions about Trump. They think he’s stupid and reckless, and so they ask questions like that. They’ll ask whether Trump might nuke Tehran long before they consider asking the important questions about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
And on top of everything else, Trump was 100% correct, and we’re succeeding.
"We've hit 78% of the targets that we've wanted to hit," he said. "If Iran doesn't want to make a deal, then I'll finish it up militarily with the other targets."
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We’ve hit 78% of the targets that we’ve wanted to hit. If Iran doesn’t want to make a deal, then I’ll finish it up militarily with the other targets. pic.twitter.com/42h4QGnQXV
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 23, 2026
Frankly, I think this is where the problem is. Democrats have been calling the military operation in Iran a failure from the get-go. There’s no doubt that they want us to fail and for Trump to lose, and so they have to try to gin up controversies by asking Trump if he wants to nuke Iran and hope he says something they can exploit for several news cycles.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading news you can trust. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member