Opinion

MORNING GLORY: What will Donald Trump's legacy be as a wartime president?

Trump has thus far proven himself the equal of any of the modern presidents and far better than most. He must remain tough, ruthless and determined

By Hugh Hewitt Fox News

Published March 17, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Ben Shapiro criticizes Democrats for ‘unbelievably shortsighted’ stances on Iranian nuclear capabilities

‘The Ben Shapiro Show’ host Ben Shapiro discusses Rep. Ro Khanna’s, D-Calif., statements on Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy strategy in the Middle East and more on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

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Every American alive today has been living in wartime.  Every president since December 7, 1941, has been a wartime president. All of them. They can, and should, be judged by how they have waged war, both "cold" and "hot," against imposing foes and against dangerous irritants. Provided he remains tough, determined and ruthless in this conflict with Iran, President Donald Trump will be the equal of any of them and far superior to most.

There have been stretches of time of largely noncombatant war since the conclusion of World War II, stretches that look a lot like the "peacetime" of the 1920s and 1930s.

From the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11 — 25 years ago this September — for example, the illusion of "peace" was pervasive. Indeed, a "peace dividend" was demanded and paid via deep cuts in defense spending because of that illusion.

LIZ PEEK: IRAN WAR COULD BECOME THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT ENSURES TRUMP’S LEGACY

That illusion survived the United States invasion of Panama and the first Gulf War, the American cruise missile strikes on Iraq in 1993 which President Clinton ordered, the dozen years of conflict with Saddam that followed under both the first Bush and Clinton with the "no-fly zones," Operation Infinite Reach — when Clinton ordered cruise missiles fired at Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan and Sudan — and NATO’s Operation Allied Force which was the 78-day NATO bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from March 24 to June 10, 1999.

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Not until 9/11 did most of America collectively conclude that the world contained very bad actors and would never leave us alone or allow us to be indifferent to rising threats.

After 9/11 through the debacle of our collapse in Afghanistan in 2021, no one doubted we were in wars. There were obvious reminders in the tragic killings and wounding of American service members in........

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