‘Obama will start a war with Iran to get re-elected’: Trump’s old warning resurfaces after Iran airstrikes

Trump has said the strikes were aimed at stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and helping make “Israel much safer now.”

Back in 2011, Donald Trump warned that then-President Barack Obama might start a war with Iran just to win re-election. He said Obama was “weak,” couldn’t negotiate, and would launch military strikes to boost his popularity.

“Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate,” Trump said in a video at the time. “The only way he figures he’s going to get re-elected... is to start a war with Iran.”

Now, in 2025, it’s Trump himself who has ordered airstrikes on Iran, hitting three nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. And people online are pointing out the sharp contrast between what Trump once said and what he has now done.

Between 2011 and 2013, Trump made this claim several times, on TV, in radio interviews, and on Twitter (now X):

• Oct 2012: “Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin, watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.”
• Jan 2012: On Sean Hannity’s radio show, Trump said: “I say that he starts a war in Iran before the election… lives will be wasted for no reason.”
• Sept 2013: “Obama will attack Iran to save face.”

Trump has said the strikes were aimed at stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and helping make “Israel much safer now.”

His past words have started to gain attention again, especially among his own supporters, many of whom supported him because he promised to avoid foreign wars.