Opinion

MORNING GLORY: President Trump’s big speech on Iran — what will it do?

Given the times, it won’t move the needle much

By Hugh Hewitt Fox News

Published April 2, 2026 5:00am EDT

Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google

close

Video

President Trump suggests US will finish in Iran in two to 3 weeks

President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that he thinks the U.S. will finish its attacks on Iran in two to three weeks. (Credit: The White House via YouTube)

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Many of President Donald Trump’s critics who did not approve of his ordering of Operation Epic Fury have focused on his failure to "rally the public" to the battle with Iran which the United States and Israel have been fighting — extremely successfully — for more than a month. Last night he gave the prime time address some of his critics have been demanding. 

This column had to be filed hours before the president spoke, however, so I can only predict that, with some confidence, that reactions to the address will be "mixed." 

About 35-40% of the country will applaud the remarks. Roughly the same number will condemn them. And the crucial middle 20-40% will either be "undecided," or will admit to not having seen it.

MORNING GLORY: THERE’S A WAR GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. HAVE YOU HEARD?

This result will come about because opinions about President Trump and anything he does do not move much, if at all. Ever.

The president has built a base. It endures. When the president was opposite then Vice President Kamala Harris on an actual ballot, he smoked her, winning decisively and in all seven of the "swing states." That was a real test. 

Video

The next time public opinion will truly be tested is in the fall elections. So much will happen between then and now that the safest prediction remains: The GOP loses the majority in the House, but retains the majority in the Senate, but it’s all dart throwing so far out. If the president has had quiet notification from one or two members of the Supreme Court in his pocket, he can be assured of a few news cycles favorable to him before voting begins, as the left will do its very predictable and ridiculous overreaction to any nominee and alienate the center. 

But about the address last night…

President Trump will rightly have extolled the job done by the American military and our Israeli partners. The combined forces have devastated Iran’s ability to threaten its neighbors and the world. A military junta is now running the country, if the smartest analysts are to be believed, and even if Khamenei 2.0 is alive but injured, it does not matter. It is very obvious he’s not "running" anything. It’s not even clear that the junta is running anything.

A smashed military can’t do much but bluster and fire off the missiles they can drag out of the shattered........

© Fox News