President Donald Trump deflected a question about Iranian civilians suffering amid ongoing military operations by complimenting Fox News host Dana Perino’s appearance during an interview on Thursday on “The Five,” avoiding any substantive response about humanitarian conditions inside Iran as the conflict enters its fifth week.
When asked whether Iranians had access to drinking water and food during the US-Israeli military campaign, the 79-year-old president abruptly shifted topics. He recalled a lunch they shared at Trump Tower “when it was a brand new building,” telling the married former George W. Bush press secretary, “You haven’t changed. You may be even better looking,” according to The Daily Beast.
The exchange occurred as reports indicate Iranian civilians face severe shortages of basic necessities following weeks of sustained military strikes. Perino had framed her question as “upsetting,” noting the alarming absence of information from inside Iran due to internet shutdowns.
Trump’s personal remarks transformed what began as an inquiry into humanitarian conditions into an uncomfortable moment of on-air flirtation. He suggested such a comment could “end” his political career, yet continued without addressing the substance of the original question. When he eventually returned to the topic, he spoke only about how Iranians are “petrified” of their own government—offering nothing about food or water availability.
The incident adds to mounting concerns about how the president perceives the conflict. NBC News recently revealed that Trump receives daily video briefings from US military officials consisting primarily of approximately two-minute montages showing successful strikes on Iranian targets—what one source characterized as “stuff blowing up.”
Officials told NBC the briefings emphasize US successes while providing limited visibility into Iranian responses, battlefield setbacks, or broader strategic developments. The concern centers not on briefings themselves but their structure, which may shield the president from complete battlefield assessments.
Trump maintains near-daily communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to NBC News. However, the president reportedly learned about damage to US aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia through media reports rather than official military channels—raising serious questions about information flow within his administration.
The conflict has escalated dramatically since US-Israeli operations began. Among the most controversial incidents was a strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, which killed at least 175 people. The February 28 attack on the first day of US-Israeli strikes was carried out by a US Tomahawk missile, according to multiple investigations including TIME, The New York Times, and Amnesty International.
Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin directly challenged Trump’s claims about the school attack during an appearance on “Special Report.” She told anchor Bret Baier it was “highly unlikely” that anyone other than the US fired the Tomahawk that hit the school, noting Britain and Australia have Tomahawks but aren’t part of the conflict, while Japan’s are still in testing. “I think the president knows that,” Griffin said. “He’s trying to sort of muddy the waters.”
During a press conference on Monday at his golf resort in Doral, Florida, Trump attempted to deflect responsibility by calling Tomahawks “very generic” and suggesting they are “sold and used by other countries.” He even floated the possibility that Iran “also has some Tomahawks”—a claim weapons experts quickly rejected. When pressed on why he alone was suggesting Iran bombed its own school, Trump admitted, “I just don’t know enough about it.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not endorsed the theory that Iran targeted its own facility. Standing behind Trump aboard Air Force One on Saturday, he declined to back the president’s assessment and instead reiterated that the Pentagon was investigating the incident. The Pentagon has stated simply that the incident remains under investigation.
Satellite imagery and independent analyses from Bellingcat, Human Rights Watch, and multiple news organizations show the school building was walled off from the adjacent IRGC naval compound as early as 2016, with separate entrances allowing access without passing through military checkpoints. Investigators concluded the school was likely hit due to outdated US targeting information, a significant intelligence failure.
Meanwhile, Trump has intensified his rhetoric toward Iranian negotiators. On his social media platform, he declared Iranian negotiators “very different and ‘strange,'” claiming they are “begging” for a deal yet publicly stating they are only “looking at our proposal.” He warned that Iran should “get serious soon” before “it is too late,” because “once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK,” according to Fox News.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the aggressive stance, warning Iran not to “miscalculate again” and suggesting the regime has “already been defeated.” At a briefing on Wednesday, she declared that “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash ****.”
The exchange on Thursday on “The Five” revealed contradictions within media coverage of the conflict. A network that has consistently supported military action briefly adopted humanitarian language before the president redirected the conversation entirely. Other panelists laughed during the exchange, treating the moment as casual banter rather than an unusual presidential response during wartime.
Vice President JD Vance has not publicly commented on either the school strike or the president’s remarks during the Fox interview. The administration continues to face scrutiny over its handling of information about civilian casualties and battlefield developments in the ongoing Iran conflict.