President Donald Trump said that no U.S. soldiers had been killed in the conflict with Iran, a claim that runs counter to the Pentagon's official death toll of 23 service members and has drawn sharp criticism from critics who called it false and disrespectful to the troops who served.
The remarks were made to reporters at West Palm Beach airport in Florida. Trump said the United States had "won in Iran" and that closing out the conflict was simply a matter of time. In making his case, he compared the American losses to casualty levels in Ukraine and Vietnam, a comparison that also drew objections from people who saw it as minimizing the sacrifice of American personnel.
Journalist Aaron Rupar described the claims as lies, and many users on social media echoed the view that the statement dishonored service members and their families. The Pentagon's figure of 23 deaths stands as the official accounting, and the gap between that number and the president's remarks became the central point of the reaction.
The comments came as Trump also addressed a possible agreement with Russia. He floated a deal that could cover more than Ukraine, a prospect that has worried NATO allies and European governments that fear being left out of the talks. Former NATO commander Breedlove has warned that Vladimir Putin is seeking spheres of influence over Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of a possible "Yalta 2.0" carve-up of the continent.
Diplomatic activity is moving ahead on several fronts. Negotiations in Abu Dhabi are scheduled for Nov. 10 and 11, with France set to attend. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that postwar European security talks are already underway. On Oct. 27, the leaders of Finland and Norway held a call with Putin.
Trump also made headlines with a separate remark about the White House press office. He said he was "only kidding" after floating UFC president Dana White as a possible press secretary. A post by Trump named UFC fighters as prospective White House assistants, and the White House shared it with the caption "On to the next chapter." The press secretary job has been vacant since Katie Zacharia's departure, following Karoline Leavitt's exit from the role in August. On Oct. 23, Trump said there was "no rush" to fill the post.
In an unrelated story from Florida, a 58-year-old woman, Dina Spann, was attacked by an alligator over the summer in the Silver River near Ray Wayside Park in Marion County. Spann lost her right arm below the elbow and part of a finger on her left hand. 911 calls describing the aftermath of the attack have since been released.