In a surreal scene on the White House lawn with flowers and Easter décor, President Donald Trump decided to give reporters an update on the Iran war.
Watch the celebration live in the video player above.
With children waiting nearby, someone in a bunny costume steps away, and soft, cheerful music in the background, the president spoke about the rescue of a missing airman shot down in Iran, defended his expletive-laden threats on social media, and warned that Iran should capitulate or face threats to its bridges and power plants.
WATCH LIVE: Trump holds news conference after unleashing latest threat against Iran
Trump warns Iran they’re making a mistake by not capitulating
Shortly after state media reported Iran had rejected a ceasefire proposal, Trump offered a new harsh warning to Iran.
“They just don’t want to say ‘uncle,'” Trump told reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll. “They don’t want to cry as the expression goes ‘uncle,’ but they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything.”
He added another ominous warning, “I won’t go further because there are other things that are worse than those two.”
Trump says he’d prefer to ‘take the oil’
Trump said that he’d prefer to use U.S military power to take control of Iran’s vast oil reserves, but acknowledged there’s not much appetite for such a move among the American electorate.
READ MORE: What to know about the daring rescue of two U.S. aviators shot down in Iran
“Take the oil because it’s there for the taking,” Trump said. “There’s not a thing they can do about it. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil. I’d keep the oil. I would make plenty of money.”
Trump suggests Kurdish groups have held onto guns meant for Iranian protesters
Trump appeared to confirm that the U.S. had intended to arm Iranian protesters after mass demonstrations against the government broke out throughout Iran in late 2025 and continued early into this year.
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Thousands of anti-government protesters were killed during the crackdowns by government forces. Fox News reported on Sunday that Trump had told the network’s Trey Yingst in a telephone interview that Kurdish groups who were supposed to be delivering the U.S.-provided weapons held on to them.
“They were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs,” Trump told reporters on Monday about the weapons intended for protesters. “You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them because they said, ‘What a beautiful gun. I think I’ll keep it.’ So, I’m very upset with a certain group of people and they’re going to pay a big price for that.”
Trump defends his use of vulgar language in a social media post
The president used not-suitable-for-work language in a Sunday social media posting warning Iran he was serious about targeting the country’s infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. He ended the short post by saying, “Praise be to Allah.”
Asked by a reporter about his salty language, Trump responded he used it “only to make my point.”
Trump added about his use of an expletive, “I think you’ve heard it before.”
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