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In a set piece that critics and loyalists alike expected to come more than a month earlier, President Trump finally gave a prime-time address Wednesday laying out his vision for the U.S. military campaign in Iran.

Rather than prepare Americans for a prolonged conflict, the commander in chief put a timeline – albeit a vague one – on Operation Epic Fury. “I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly, very shortly,” Trump said. “We are going to hit them extremely hard, over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.”

Speaking from the Cross Hall in the White House, Trump used his 19-minute speech address to declare that the war is nearing completion and to stress why it was necessary in the first place. Trump framed the campaign not as the start of a new conflict but as the culmination of decades of Iranian-backed attacks, even as declining polling suggests the public is increasingly skeptical of the mission.

In laying out his case, Trump tied the operation to 47 years of Iranian-backed terrorist proxy attacks, pointing to incidents from the 1983 Beirut bombing to the 2000 attack on the USS Cole to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault.

He also highlighted the operation’s success, reiterating what he has said in numerous interviews and what other administration officials have declared: that the U.S. has three main strategic goals – destroying Iran’s navy, air force, and defense industrial base; degrading its ability to wreak havoc by supporting terrorists and rogue regimes; and denying Iran the capacity to develop nuclear weapons craved by Iran’s mullahs and ruling militia. “I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” the president declared.

Democrats, however, sought to undercut that claim even before the speech was delivered. Former Vice President Kamala Harris said in a short social media video released ahead of the address, “I bet you he’s gonna try and claim victory tonight,” while arguing the war is unpopular and increasingly costly, adding that Trump “brought America into a war the people do not want” and “put American troops in harm’s way.”

Polling suggests Americans share those fears. The latest RealClearPolitics Polling Average has Trump’s net job approval at -15.6, down from -11.4 on Feb. 28 when the war began, while approval of the military action itself has fallen from -3.4 in the early days of the operation to -15.4.

Acknowledging those concerns, the president devoted significant time to the home front. “Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,” he said.

Trump blamed the spike on Iranian attacks on commercial oil tankers and regional infrastructure, saying the price increase was temporary. “This short-term rise has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching long-range terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict,” he said, adding that the pressure would ease once the conflict ends, as Iran moves to resume oil exports to generate the revenue needed to rebuild and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal.

In the meantime, Trump criticized U.S. allies and other nations more reliant on the Strait of Hormuz – countries that have refused to join the conflict, including the United Kingdom, saying they should “take the lead” in securing the route. “Build up some delayed courage … take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” he said.

Turning to those killed in the conflict, the president paid homage to the 13 U.S. service members who have died since hostilities began Feb. 28. “We salute them, and now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved ones, said, ‘Please, sir, please finish the job,’ every one of them. And we are going to finish the job,” he said, striking a tone that blended tribute with determination.

While the speech reinforced the administration’s existing case for the war, it left several key questions unanswered. Trump offered no additional details on any possible negotiations with Iran’s leadership, which he described as “less radical and much more reasonable” than Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the outset of the operation. And while he put a two-to-three-week timeline on achieving military objectives, he gave no indication of when or how a broader ceasefire agreement might be reached.

That lack of clarity became a central line of attack for Democrats. In its response to the speech, the Democratic National Committee pointed to shifting timelines: “Trump initially claimed that his war would last ‘four to five weeks,’ while contradicting himself that the war is ‘weeks ahead of schedule.’ Tonight, Trump indicated the war will stretch even longer.” DNC Chair Ken Martin argued that Trump “offered no new information” and failed to provide a clear rationale for the war while Americans face rising costs.

Another major question, the potential use of U.S. ground troops, was also left unaddressed. At a Pentagon briefing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops are being repositioned to keep the United States’ options open, adding, “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.” Neither the briefing nor the president’s remarks gave any additional clarification about whether the administration has plans to deploy ground troops into Iran.

In the closing portion of his speech, Trump sought to place the conflict in historical context, noting that past U.S. wars, from World War I and World War II to Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq, lasted years, while this operation has, in his telling, “eviscerated” Iran in just 32 days.

Whether Trump can keep to the two-to-three-week timeline may shape how the war is judged by voters. If it drags on, his approval could slide further, jeopardizing the midterms and potentially a 2028 Republican presidential nominee tied to his administration.

Jonathan Draeger is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics.

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