Following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump has begun attempting to distance himself and the United States from the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, calling instead for peace in the region.
On Friday, after Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed several senior Iranian military officers and nuclear scientists, Trump appeared to support the operation. On his Truth Social platform, he linked the strikes to Iran’s failure to reach a nuclear agreement with the U.S., boasting, “Iran’s hardliners didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” He went on to threaten Iran, urging its leadership to make a deal before there was “nothing left.”
In interviews the same day, Trump further emphasized U.S. involvement, stating, “Heads-up? It wasn’t a heads-up. It was, we know what’s going on,” implying advance knowledge of Israel’s actions.
However, after a phone conversation with Putin on Saturday, Trump shifted his messaging. He returned to Truth Social to call for an end to the conflict, writing that he wanted to see peace restored in the region.
The Kremlin has not released an official readout of the call, but Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov characterized the conversation as tense. Ushakov said Putin condemned Israel’s actions and reminded Trump of Russia’s previous offers to mediate a peace agreement, referencing a prior Trump-Putin call on June 4.
By Sunday morning, after a new wave of deadly Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel reportedly killed at least 20 people, Trump again posted on Truth Social:
“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make... we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump also used the post to highlight what he framed as his past diplomatic successes, claiming credit for reducing tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia, and Kosovo and Serbia, during his first term.
Trump’s pivot comes amid growing discontent among his core supporters, many of whom align with the isolationist “America First” wing of the Republican Party. Figures such as Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, both closely linked to Trump, have expressed strong opposition to U.S. involvement—direct or indirect—in any Middle Eastern conflicts.
In response to that backlash, Trump gave an interview to The Atlantic on Saturday, asserting that he coined the term “America First” and that he alone defines what the doctrine entails.